Discourse Prominence in Matthew 20,1-16 51 As noted above, the imperfective aspect is portrayed through the use of the present tense as well as the imperfect tense. The imperfect tense contrasts the aorist tense in that it describes and highlights particular characteristics of the story as significant background elements. Through the lens of Porter’s perspective on discourse prominence the present and imperfect tenses aspectually grammaticalize imperfective action and ser- ve to highlight certain events (e.g., the dialogue between the land owner and the laborers, and the grumbling of the laborers) as well as function to bring specific facets of the narrative to the foreground. 3.3. The Stative Aspect The perfect/pluperfect tenses (stative aspect), in contrast to the aorist (perfective aspect) and the present/imperfect tenses (imperfective aspect), are used to focus attention on elements of the discourse in order to bring them to the frontground as well-defined and conspicuous features of the narrative. The perfect tense is in semantic opposition to the aorist and present/imperfect tenses and functions to frontground the designated material against the other aspects available to the author. The features marked with the perfect tense identify elements that structure the parable in noteworthy ways indicating key components in the passage. There are three uses of the stative aspect in the parable (v. 3 and twice in v. 6). In each uses the perfect tense is used to refer to a group of labo- rers that the landowner comes upon (εἶδεν and εὗρεν respectively) in the marketplace. The second group of laborers that the landowner approaches is described as ἑστῶτας ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ ἀργούς (v. 3). The perfect tense is used to introduce the second group of laborers while indicating the importance of their condition as “standing idle” (ἑστῶτας ἀργούς). The stative aspect used to describe the second group of laborers contrasts the previous episode in which the background aorist tense is used to introduce and summarize the landowner's dealings with the first group of laborers (vv. 1-2). The perfect participle (ἑστῶτας) is also utilized to identify the final group of laborers “discovered” (εὗρεν) by the landowner “standing” idle in the marketplace (vv. 6-7). Although not explicitly mentioned, it seems appropriate to assume they too are understood as “standing idle” (ἑστῶτας ἀργούς) in the same way as the second group of laborers (v. 3). The perfect indicative verb ἑστήκατε is used in the dialogue by the author to again conspicuously mark the laborers in vv. 6-7 by bringing their condition as “standing” to the frontground of the narrative. The repeated use of the perfect tense in v. 6 brings more attention to the group as standing (ἑστῶτας) emphatically distinguishing them from the previous