Altai tense forms in the aspect of language complexity

The purpose of the following article is to analyze the tense forms of the Altai language in the aspects of structural, semantic and functional complexity in synchrony and recent diachrony. The object of our research is the Altai tense system. The subject matter is the paradigm of Altai finite tense forms: three past tense forms with =ган, =ды, =(ы)птыр, three present tense forms with =ат, =адыры, =п jат, and two future tense forms with =ар and =атан. Since the creation of the first Altai grammar, changes in the composition, structure and semantic of the system of Altai tense forms have been observed. The structural complexity of tense forms stems from the fact that most of them formed on the basis of analytic participial constructions with aspectual semantic. They are formed by the means of present-future adverbial participles with =а, copulative adverbial participles with =п and auxiliary verbs тур= ‘to stand' and jат= ‘to lie': 1) present-future adverbial participle and auxiliary verb тур= ‘to stand' (broad present tense with =ат and evidential or continuous present with =адыр); 2) copulative adverbial participle with =(ы)п and auxiliary verb тур= ‘to stand' (evidential past tense with =(ы)птыр=); 3) copulative adverbial participle with =(ы)п and auxiliary verb jат= ‘to lie' (present tense of the current moment with =(ы)п jат=). The tense paradigm is being actively enriched with the help of synthesized analytical constructions, as secondary synthesizing always results in new affixes. However, simplification of the structure does not always result in semantic simplification. Most tense forms are polysemantic, resulting in their semantic complexity. The main temporal meaning of these forms is complicated by aspectual or, less frequently, evidential and modal semantic. The aspectual meaning of result complicates the temporal meaning of past tense form with =ган; the meaning of continuance complicates the temporal meaning of present tense form with =адыр. The past tense form with =ды and present tense form with =адыр include the seme of direct evidentiality. Depending on context, the past tense form with =(ы)птыр is able to express indirect evidentiality or mirativity. The future tense form with =атан possesses a component of modal meaning of necessity. Tense forms differ in their functioning areas and frequency of usage. Changes in the functioning of tense forms in earlier and modern texts can be observed. In many cases, new forms created to express specific tense meanings begin to replace existent forms with more general tense meanings.