The functions of the past tense category in audio description: linguistic and pragmatic aspects

The subject of this study is the functions of past tense verb forms in the discourse of Russian audio description (tiflocommentary). The object of the study is the temporal strategies implemented by audio describers when describing dynamic events, static states, flashbacks, changes in characters' poses, as well as when reading titles and subtitles. The author thoroughly examines topics such as the linguistic and pragmatic acceptability of the past tense in the context of the normative requirement to use only the present tense, as well as the ways of expressing perfective, aoristic, and imperfective meanings in the absence of specialized grammatical forms. Special attention is given to identifying contexts in which the past tense does not violate accessibility principles; on the contrary, it contributes to narrative coherence and the adequate transmission of visual information to blind and visually impaired viewers. This research is based on an author's corpus of Russian audio descriptions (114,773 words, 39 hours). The methodology includes a quantitative analysis of verb forms using a Python program, contextual-pragmatic analysis, and comparison with international normative documents and foreign corpus studies. The scientific novelty of this research lies in the fact that for the first time, the functions and conditions of acceptability of the past tense in audio description are systematically described based on Russian-language corpus material. Based on empirical data, the author proposes a five-part typology of pragmatic types of past tense (perfect of state, imperfect and aorist of flashback, performative, documentary aorist, aorist of a narrative bridge) and justifies quantitative thresholds for its acceptability (target level – 0–0.5%, critical – above 3%). Moreover, for each type, the degree of pragmatic marking is defined. The findings of the study indicate that the past tense is not a default error but requires pragmatic justification, and the Russian tradition of audio description demonstrates a more conservative strategy compared to the international one.