A Constant Flux of Language Change with regard to English Present Perfect vs. Preterit

초록

In colloquial or written Present-day English (PE), especially colloquial American English, present perfect and preterit are in free variation. I have considered the relationship between the English present perfect and the preterit diachronically from PE back to Old English (OE) and from OE to PE vice versa. Based on the comparison of the English Bible versions from OE AS (995), ME Wycliffe Bible (1389), EMnE Tyndale Bible (1526), PE NIV (1979), and NLT (2013), I have come to the conclusion that PE, especially American colloquial English is returning to OE concerning the free variation of the present perfect and the preterit. I suggest two reasons why PE, especially the colloquial AmE is returning to OE. Firstly, it is because of the nature of language itself. Language itself changes or repeats itself as shown in the change of examples I discussed. Secondly, it is because of the language change of parameter- resetting. the English language has changed by parameter-resetting. This parameter-resetting repeats itself.

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