The historic present
February 17th, 2010
In what way is the English language enhanced by removing the past tense? I ask this question in all seriousness because for some time now the media have taken it upon themselves to refer to historical events in the present tense. The most recent example that comes to mind is John Tusa doing a series of daily reports on the events of 1968 around Europe. This was narrated in the historic present and resulted in my switching off after a very short time despite my respect for the presenter.
On occasion entire documentaries have been presented in this way, perhaps it is thought to add immediacy to a program. I really have no idea, having not asked the producers.
Having looked around the web the conclusion seems to be that it’s ok for a brief period such as retelling a story in a pub, to bring immediacy to the action, but that one should switch back to the past in the longer term, and likewise with documentaries, that the historic present quickly becomes tedious and irritating. That’s my view, what do you think?