O passado da língua no cinema: Um estudo diacrônico do pretérito perfecto na variedade bonaerense

Abstract

The lack of research on diachronic study of porteño Spanish and reports about the history of the pretérito perfecto simple (PPS) and pretérito perfecto compuesto (PPC) uses in Argentina highlight the importance of this study. Thus, comparing movies from two historical moments - a sixty years interval, approximately- (a) 1958 (Rosaura a las diez) and (b) 2013 (Corazón de León) - we observed if there is some alteration in the use of the tenses and what factors could be generating this variation. In this way, this question has helped us in the research: What is the difference in the use of the PPS and PPC in the two generations analyzed? We have noted that despite the predominance of the use of simple form, PPC is not excluded from Argentinean Spanish. Moreover, both forms assume different values from those found in prescriptive manuals of Spanish, that is, in addition to the absolute past value, the use of PPS with ante present value has been noted. Likewise, PPC occurred with absolute past value, in addition to the ante present value.