古怪的时态切换

弹钢琴 · 发表于 2022-2-4 23:29:02

本帖最后由弹钢琴于 2022-2-4 23:31 编辑

这篇短故事通篇读下来，发现有多个地方进行了现在时和过去时之间的切换。而这些切换似乎没什么道理
比如：开篇began是过去式，但接着就变成了现在时来描述故事；到最后一段的时候又成了过去时。
我没想出这些切换的理由是什么，有人理解么？

entropy · 发表于 2022-2-5 08:04:58

英文故事写作，有整篇用现在时的，也有切换时态的，但这俩都需要技巧，且被一部分人嫌弃。具体请看：

https://jamigold.com/2020/04/sto ... iterary-past-tense/

译者没有整活的动机与精力，他这么翻，是因为俄文原版时态就是如此。我用 Google Books 找到了来自期刊 Language 的证据：

文章标题："The Historical Use of the Present Imperfective and the Present Perfective in Russian"

https://www.jstor.org/stable/409106

~荆棘 · 发表于 2022-2-5 00:21:31

本帖最后由 ~荆棘于 2022-2-5 13:43 编辑

过去时是讲故事通常使用的时态，现在时则好像在描述正发生在眼前之事，具有一种修辞效果。这里开头用过去时是入戏，主体用现在时是身临其境，结尾用过去时是出戏。

yuqinghuaz1 · 发表于 2022-2-5 20:35:14

本帖最后由 yuqinghuaz1 于 2022-2-5 20:41 编辑

~荆棘发表于 2022-2-5 00:21
过去时是讲故事通常使用的时态，现在时则好像在描述正发生在眼前之事，具有一种修辞效果。这里开头用过去时 ...

仔细体会一下，觉得楼主说的很有道理。其实，换一句话说，就是作者在不断地转换自己所在的那个时间点，而不是一成不变。作者在时空中穿梭变化而已。

渔夫和妖怪 · 发表于 2022-2-15 16:04:04

It was on the Merritt Parkway just south of New Haven. I was
driving along, half asleep, my mind miles away, and suddenly
there was a screeching of brakes and I catch sight of a car that
had been overtaking me apparently. Well, he doesn't. He pulls
in behind me instead, and it's then that I notice a police car
parked on the side.

历史现在时，这里更生动，不是冷冰冰的陈述。

弹钢琴 · 发表于 2022-2-15 16:59:50

渔夫和妖怪发表于 2022-2-15 16:04
It was on the Merritt Parkway just south of New Haven. I was
driving along, half asleep, my mind mil ...

但我觉得这样用其实并不好

mikeee · 发表于 2022-2-15 21:00:03

本帖最后由 mikeee 于 2022-2-16 00:00 编辑

Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_present 给了个定义和例子:
In linguistics and rhetoric, the historical present or historic present, also called dramatic present or narrative present, is the employment of the present tense when narrating past events.

If the funeral had been yesterday, I could not recollect it better. The very air of the best parlour, when I went in at the door, the bright condition of the fire, the shining of the wine in the decanters, the patterns of the glasses and plates, the faint sweet smell of cake, the odour of Miss Murdstone’s dress, and our black clothes. Mr. Chillip is in the room, and comes to speak to me.

"And how is Master David?" he says, kindly.

I cannot tell him very well. I give him my hand, which he holds in his.

— Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, Chapter IX

如果想看看狄更斯的前后文的词态变化，只要将上面的某个句子或某两个句子拷到一个搜索引擎里就可以找到，例如这里 http://www.dickens-online.info/david-copperfield-page86.html

弹钢琴 · 发表于 2022-2-16 00:18:12

mikeee 发表于 2022-2-15 21:00
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_present 给了个定义和例子:
In linguistics and rhet ...

If the funeral had been yesterday, I could not recollect it better.

这句话是什么意思啊？

sabrina2111 · 发表于 2022-3-26 13:41:07

本帖最后由 sabrina2111 于 2022-3-26 13:49 编辑

这是一种写作手法吧。过去时是对故事的叙述，现在时是作者对当时发生的事站在现在的角度发表自己的看法，观点（包含叙述）。

sabrina2111 · 发表于 2022-3-26 13:48:22

~荆棘发表于 2022-2-5 00:21
过去时是讲故事通常使用的时态，现在时则好像在描述正发生在眼前之事，具有一种修辞效果。这里开头用过去时 ...

我觉得大神说的有一定道理。过去时可以理解为入戏，但现在时我理解为出戏，最后的过去时我理解为再入戏。

[语言求助] 古怪的时态切换

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