In our journey so far, we have combined our base verbs (be, have, do, will), the grammatical time (PRESENT, PAST, FUTURE), and Aspect (Simple, Progressive, and Perfect).
Visuals can help. We may picture colorful extents.
The Aspects
In ■CHAPTER 4, we gave the Aspect cognitive mapping values, for the sake of a better language economy:
Simple: the cognitive variable {ON};
Progressive: the cognitive variable {IN};
Perfect: the cognitive variable {TO}.
We can reason, the Aspect makes one type of logic because the cognitive variables work together. We cannot be {IN} an area of a cognitive map without being {ON} a cognitive ground.
The Time
Another extent can symbolize the grammatical Time — the PRESENT, PAST, or FUTURE.
Grammatical time makes one type of logic too, as we can never work the PAST or FUTURE without our PRESENT. More, this Wednesday is the FUTURE on this Tuesday, but not on this Thursday or after. Part 4 of the journey shows how to make nexuses of time.
The Expression
We need one more quality in our picture, to be able to affirm, deny, or ask questions. All grammars recognize the Affirmative, Negative, and Interrogative (■CHAPTER 5). With Time and Aspect, they make the human and logical capability, Expression.
Expression comes together with Time and Aspect, we yet might prefer the Affirmative, Negative, or Interrogative as distinct logic. Let us reckon.
We may join the Negative and the Interrogative, into the Negative Interrogative. There are yet no “Affirmative Interrogative” structures, and there is no “Negative Affirmative” syntax, and we might not like to get entangled with negation.
We may grant distinct hues to the three, and combine colors and visuals.
Cues
We have extracted Aspect general patterns, with the infinity symbol for the places any head verb could come.
We happen to say the FUTURE brings the things that are before us. We also happen to say that PAST things are behind us.
To look forward or back to events, we are always in our PRESENT.
Good grammar is going to require that we perceive our target grammatical time. Modal shapes alone do not show the target time, and arrows have been widely in use to indicate a flow or direction.
We might do the exercises tomorrow.
The target grammatical time here is the FUTURE.
The same form of the Modal verb, might, could be telling about the PRESENT.
We might do the exercises now.
Symbols for Time and Aspect
We may mark the Time and the Aspect in arrow cues.
The Simple Aspect may work without an auxiliary, and a plain arrow can show this. As people can move about in more than one direction, our arrow does not prioritize the left or right.
Let us begin with the grammatical PRESENT.
The Present Simple tells what we perceive {ON} own cognitive extents.
We have pictured the Progressive Aspect as being in a spot, a place in a map. We can represent it with a dot.
The Perfect Aspect can help view time like a way to a place. We can represent it with an extra head on our simple dart.
(Graphics under development.)
Let us try to see our logic as in a chart.
Please mind that our arrows are not shooting arrows. They are just to help find own way with grammar. If we make models to play, we make big models from soft material, as plush, especially if there should be little children around.
