Perfect forms.

The category of perfect in all Germanic languages, Old English inclusive, was purely synthetic one. The formation of perfect originates from two Old English constructions: bēōn (to be), habban (to have) + Participle II. These constructions initially expressed purely lexical meaning, stating that the Subject possesses certain features (habban) or the Subject has the feature of the completed action (beon). E.g.

Hēo hæfþ; hine gefundene. – “She has found him = She has him found”.

nū is sē dæg cumen. – “Now the day has come = Now the day is come”.

To justify that, these were purely syntactic construction, one should note that PII always correlated in person and number with bēōn and habban. Moreove, one may observe a ditant position of PII and prospective auxiliary, since very often the object or subject could stay between them.

Grammaticalization of Perfect constructions haban+PII and ben+PII took place during Middle English period. Thus, in contrast to Old English Participle II stopped correlating with habban and ben in person and number. Another peculiar feature was the contact position between the auxiliary and PII.

E.g.

but ye han lerned art… – “but you have learnt art…”.

Haban+PII was mostly used with transitive verbs, whereas ben+PII was recorded with the verbs of state and motion. E.g.

 

he was late ycome from his viage – “…he has come late from the voyage”.

In Middle English Perfect performed the same functions as Present-Day English Past Simple and Present Perfect. Which made these forms interchangeable.

 

Perfect Continuous forms were firstly registered in G. Chaucer’s works (only 2 examples):

Heere in the temple of the goddesse Clemence | We han ben waitynge al this fourtenyght. – “Here in the temple of goddess Clemence, we have been waiting for a fortnight”.

 

Early Modern English.

This period is also characterized by the presence of two Perfect forms: to have+PII and to be+PII. However, the latter constructions were traced with verbs of motion only. Still, the same verbs of motion could be traced with auxiliary to have. The difference was in the accent, thus, constructions with to be emphasized upon the result, while constructions with to have – upon the process.

 

I have grieved the Spirit, and he is gone; I tempted the devil, and he is come to me.

There also you shall meet with thousands and ten thousands that have gone before us to that place.

 

Have+ PII represents all the functions characteristic for Modern Present Perfect, however, it can be sporadically traced in Modern Past Simple function, still such examples are not numerous, which testifies that these forms become relic.