Das Doppelperfekt – (K)eine neue Tempusform? Zum Einfluss adjektivischer Partizipien auf doppelte Perfektkonstruktionen

Abstract

This essay deals with double perfect constructions in conceptually written contexts. It pursues two goals. First, the spreading mechanisms of double perfect constructions are to be investigated. Analogy to adjective participle forms is one mechanism of several, which can be responsible for the occurrence in double perfect constructions. I will show that the frequency of occurrence as adjectival participle correlates with the occurrence of the same participle in a double perfect construction. A corpus analysis was performed for this purpose. If a participle frequently occurs as an adjective, it partially loses its verbal properties and approaches an adjective status. This can promote the addition of ‘gewesen’/‘gehabt’ to indicate a past tense implication. The proximity of these participles to the adjectival status is also shown by their occurrence in adjectival configurations (e. g. inflected, affixation with ‘un-‘). In addition, the question is examined whether the double perfect is a new tense. I would like to illustrate that the double perfect forms with ‘gewesen’ are mostly to be interpreted adjectivally and are not a new tense. The double forms with ‘gehabt’ can theoretically be true double perfect constructions, but depending on the context they can also be analyzed adjectivally.