Preferences for Competing Temporal Forms in Subordinate Clauses in Contemporary Bulgarian. An Analysis of Survey Data

This study presents and discusses the results of a non-representative survey conducted with 3166 Вulgarian native speakers, investigating respondents’ preferences for competing temporal forms of verbs in different types of subordinate clauses, when the context expresses temporal features that the verb in the subordinate clause should carry. The hypothesis tested includes the expectation that both when choosing from suggested competing verb forms in the subordinate clause and in independently creating forms, respondents would prefer a less marked verb form, replacing the marked one due to syntagmatic (contextual) neutralization of one or more temporal oppositions. However, when choosing from suggested competing forms, it is possible, though not predominantly, for some respondents to opt for a more marked verb form.