FUNCTIONS AND DISCOURSE INTERPRETATIONS OF THE PRESENT PERFECT
The experiential Perfect
This refers to the fact that there have been one or more experiences of the event in the recent history 1 and 2, or in the life-span 3 of a certain person up to the present time, as in:
1 I’ve been ill.
2 Jim’s been away.
3 You’ve lived in Brighton, and you’ve lived in Kingston and now you live in Lewes. [KRG]
Included in this type is the first-time experience use, as in It’s the first time I’ve been here, for which certain languages use a Present tense.
Another is the contrast between the one-way have gone to and the cyclic have been to, as in:
Jim has gone to England = he’s still there
Jim has been to England = he has returned after a visit to England
This explains the anomalous *I’ve gone to England, and the fact that I’ve been to England several times is normal, whereas *I’ve gone to England several times is odd.
