EPISTOLARY DEIXIS IN THE NOVGOROD BIRCHBARK LETTERS

The present article deals with the phenomenon of'epistolary past tense' in the Novgorod birchbark letters This term refers to the use of the past tense for events that coincide with the time of writing, e.g. I have sent to you six barrels of wine' (i.e. I am sending to you ...'), In the light of the birchbark data, the standard account of the epistolary past tense turns out to be insufficient. In this article, a more refined and adequate explanation for the use of the past tense is proposed.