Ctenses

Ctenses are a theoretical class of tense markers proposed in linguistic theory to encode time with respect to a contextual reference time rather than directly to the speaker’s time. In this framework, each ctense form specifies a relation between a reference time in the discourse and the time of the described event. The reference time, or anchor, can be established by the discourse itself—for example a reported event, a previously mentioned moment, or a future plan—while the shift component indicates whether the event lies before, during, or after that anchor.

Formalization of ctenses often treats them as a two-part system: an anchor (the reference point in the discourse) and a shift (the temporal displacement relative to that anchor). This allows speakers to express times that are anchored to ongoing narrative frames or to non-present points in time, providing a means to model discourse-time rather than merely speech-time. The category is typically discussed in relation to aspect, mood, and voice, and may be realized in languages through affixes, clitics, or separate particles.

Typology and realization: ctenses can be proposed as present, past, or future with further subdivisions such as proximal or distant relative to the anchor. Analyses differ on how ctenses map onto existing tense systems, and on how they interact with other temporal and evidential markers.

Attestation and reception: the ctense concept remains largely theoretical and is not widely documented as a distinct category in widely studied languages. It is mainly discussed as a tool for modeling discourse-time relations in theoretical constructs.

See also: tense, aspect, discourse time, reference time.