Mohyla L. Present Tense of the Verb in the French Language: System and Functional Interpretation

The present indicative tense has been analysed through the French verb system from the perspective of psychological systematics theory. The present tense has been defined as a linguistic sign, in which both components (the semes of the past and the future) are connected in the language chain. Compositional and positional configurations of the present tense within the indicative mood have been established. The research has revealed a structure-formative role of this verbal form, which accounts for its transpositional features in the speech. Semantic and pragmatic functions of the present indicative tense have been elucidated on the basis of the temporal reference analysis, which has determined inferential meanings of this verbal form in the speech and defined its role in the temporal dynamics of the discourse.