4. Oppositional reduction of verbal categories In various contextual conditions, one member of an opposition can be used
in the position of the other, counter-member. This phenomenon is usually referred
to as “oppositional reduction” (some authors use the term “oppositional
substitution”). Two major types of oppositional reduction are differentiated:
neutralization and transposition.
Neutralizationas a linguistic concept by which we mean suspension of
otherwise functioning oppositions. The position of neutralization is, as a rule, filled
in by the weak member of the opposition due to its more general semantics.
Neutralization is stylistically indifferent, the use of the unmarked member of the
opposition in the position of the marked member does not transgress the expressive
conventions of ordinary speech.
e.g. The exhibition opens next week. The example presents a case of neutralization of the opposition “present vs.
future”. The present form “opens”, which is the weak member of the opposition, is
used in the position of the strong member and denotes a future action.
Neutralization is possible due to the presence of the adverbial modifier of time
(“next week”), which plays the role of the neutralizer in this case.
The other type of oppositional reduction called transposition takes place
when one of the members of the opposition is placed in contextual conditions
uncommon for it, that is, the use of the form is stylistically marked. Transposition
is based on the contrast between the members of the opposition, it may be defined
as a contrastive use of the counter-member of the opposition. As a rule, it is the
marked member of the opposition that is employed transpositionally, but not
always so.
e.g. He is always borrowing my pen. The present continuous form in the example stands in sharp contradiction
with its regular grammatical meaning “action in progress at the present time”.
There is no doubt that the contradiction is purposeful: by exaggeration, it
intensifies the implied disapproval of the person’s behavior.
The verbal categories of tense, aspect and temporal correlation are all
subject to oppositional reduction. Let us consider the following examples:
Category of tense:
eg. The big Christmas sale starts next Monday. Your order will be sent to you immediately after we get a copy of your receipt. The two examples present cases of neutralization of the opposition “present
vs. future”. Present forms “starts” and “get” refer to future actions. In the first case
neutralization is optional since the paradigmatically required form “will start” can
be used here. (Using a non-future temporal form to express a future action which is
to take place according to some plan or arrangement is one of typical cases of
neutralization.) In the second case neutralization is strictly obligatory. This type of
neutralization is syntactically conditioned: It occurs in clauses of time and
condition whose verb-predicate expresses a future action. (This is another typical
case of neutralization of the analyzed oppositional).
Example of transposition:
eg. I walked for a couple more minutes and then suddenly I see a fox running in my direction. In this example the present form “see” substitutes the past form “saw”.
Present is used in the position of transposition of the opposition “present vs. past”.
The stylistic purpose of this phenomenon known as “the historic present” is to
create a vivid picture of the event reflected in the utterance. The peculiarity of this
case of transposition is that the weak member stands in the position of the strong
member, which is not typical of transposition.
Category of aspect
There are several typical cases of oppositional reduction of the category of
aspect. One is related to the division of verbs into limitive and unlimitive.
e.g. The sun shone brightly. The example presents a case of neutralization of the opposition “continuous
vs. non-continuous” (a process is implied). Neutralization is optional since the
paradigmatically required form “was shining” can still be used. The neutralizer is
the lexical meaning of the verb.
As for transposition, continuous forms can be used transpositionally to
denote habitual, recurrent actions in emphatic collocations. (e.g. He is always borrowing my pen).
Category of temporal correlation
As we have already mentioned, the category of temporal correlation is based
on the privative-equipollent opposition of “perfect vs. non-perfect”, which is not
easily neutralized in the present but can be neutralized in the past with ease.
e.g. The court issued an arrest warrant after the police detained a suspect. The non-perfect form “detained” substitutes the paradigmatically required
form “had detained”. The use of the weak member of the opposition in the position
of the strong member is possible because the meaning of “a prior action” is
expressed by the temporal conjunction “after” and by the other action.
