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In the sentence

> オノマトペとは、ものの様子や音を表したことばです。

why is it 音を表し **た** ことば rather than 音を表し **ている** ことば?

I'm reading <https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/11976> but I'm not sure if
this sentence produces a resultative state (like the answer suggests). I've
also read that た can also indicate a continuative state/action like ている does,
and the justification is that in relative clauses the past tense can be
neutralized, but I don't seem to understand this correctly. I've found this
example (from <https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/3362>)

> ワイシャツを着ている人  
>  A person wearing (in-progress) a white-collar shirt
>
> ワイシャツを着た人  
>  A person who "wore"/put-on (and still has on) a white-collar shirt.
>
> * * *
>
> 太っている猫  
>  A cat who is currently fat
>
> 太った猫  
>  A cat who got/become (and still is) fat

but I'm not sure if this applies to every verb or just some verbs (maybe 表す?).
Also, does the verb being transitive/intransitive affect the meaning of た as
non-past?
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2017-02-25T18:54:01.407
43864
2017-02-28T08:00:14.073
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
-1
17515
question
meaning tense aspect
Why does 音を表したことば use the past tense?
## Does this apply to every verb or just some verbs (maybe 表す?)

When [verb] + 「た」is modifying a noun like in the examples above it almost
always means that the action happened and it's effect on the modified noun
still holds true within the context of the utterance.

## Does the verb being transitive/intransitive affect the meaning?

I don't think there is any special difference between transitive and
intransitive usages.

Intransitive Examples:

  * 間違った答え 
  * 結婚した男性 

Transitive Examples:

  * ビールを飲んだ男 
  * 料金所を通過した車
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2017-02-26T09:08:29.343
43875
2017-02-26T09:08:29.343
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answer
シャツを着た人 can be interpreted either as "a person who (then) put on a shirt" or
"a person wearing a shirt". On the other hand, シャツを着ている人 can also mean either
"a person who is putting on a shirt" or "a person wearing a shirt". So, they
are a paraphrase when they are used in the latter usage respectively.
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2017-02-28T08:00:14.073
43944
2017-02-28T08:00:14.073
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answer