During the past fifteen years, a variety of linguistic analyses of the tense and aspect systems of dialects of English has been conducted. These analyses were bounded by several analytic dimensions. This paper treats three of these dimensions and discusses their interrelationships and implications in relation to two dialects--Black English and standard English. All of the analyses discussed are cast in the framework of generative, transformational grammar. The semantic approach to the analysis of standard English tense and aspect reveals that the underlying structure of both Black English and standard English is substantially the same. A list of references is included. (Author/JM)