Datapoint Bahamian Creole/Present reference of stative verbs and past perfective reference of dynamic verbs

The unmarked verb functions as the realization of the perfective aspect in Bahamian Creole English. Non-stative verbs typically receive a past interpretation; stative ones a non-past one. However, unmarked statives may also have past reference if the context is clearly past (as in Example 121). The unmarked verb also occurs in habitual and generic sentences, in both non-past and past contexts, as in Example 122 (cf. Hackert 2004: 66–71).

Values

Stative verbs with present reference and dynamic verbs with past perfective reference are both unmarked

Example 12-119:
I - I been in a - a - in - in a - in a - plane crash before. [No way!] Yeah, that's fifteen years ago when my daddy die. I was in Miami, and I had to leave - out of Miami about - 7:30 that night. And catch a private plane out for Crooked Island, Sunday morning for the funeral. And when we got - when we got in Crooked Island, before we - just before we land, the pilot said - tell us to be prepare, 'cause the gear stuck, the landing gear stuck. But, you see, Crooked Island is a place like this, where the e- where - where the runway is - both side is sandy ground, and the plane - when it hit - when it hit the runway, it run off the - the runway. And she hit and she run until she bog in the sand - just about - just about the top of the plane was in the sand. But other places wouldn'ta had that opportunity, 'cause 'e ain't much places in the Bahamas where the runway is sandy. And that what save us.
[...]
[...]
when
when
my
my
daddy
daddy
die
die[pfv]
[...]
[...]
just
just
before
before
we
we
land
land[pfv]
[...]
[...]
it
it
run
run[pfv]
off
off
[...]
[...]
the
the
runway
runway
[...]
[...]
And
and
that
that
what
what
save
save[pfv]
us.
us
[...] fifteen years ago, when my daddy died [...] just before we landed [...] it ran off the runway [...] and that's what saved us.
Example 12-120:
Jesus love me.
Jesus
Jesus
love
love[stat.prs]
me.
1sg.obj
Jesus loves me.
Example 12-121:
And then afterwards - uh - the policeman had to put handcuff on his hand and on his two feet, 'cause he want try fight them.
[...]
[...]
'cause
because
he
3sg.sbj
want
want[stat.pst]
try
try
fight
fight
them.
3pl.obj
[...] because he wanted to try to fight them.
Example 12-122:
The bird white - chickcharney, yeah. And, you know, they get face - sometime you look after 'im, he face look like owl. Sometime - you look again - he face look like dog. Sometime when you look again - he face look like cat. Yeah! They ain't no ordinary bird. You know, they's bird what - uh - uh - I believe it in myself - they does - they be work witch or something like that.
[...]
[...]
they
they
get
get[stat.gener]
face
face
[...]
[...]
he
3sg.poss
face
face
look
look[stat.gener]
[...]
[...]
[The bird is white - the chickcharney (mythical creature), yeah. And, you know,] they have a face - [sometimes] [...], its face looks [like that of an owl. Sometimes, when you look again, its face looks like that of a dog].
Confidence:
Very certain