LEXICAL ASPECT - AKTIONSART categories Flashcards

1
Q

TWO LEVELS OF ASPECTUAL MEANING

A

Aspectual information is contributed by GRAMMATICAL CATEGORIES
> E.g. English progressive, perfect

But also LEXICALLY
> VPs can be classified according to their temporal characteristics

Terminology varies, but distinction necessary:

  1. Grammatical vs Lexical aspect/Aktionsart
  2. Viewpoint aspect vs Situation aspect
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2
Q

situation aspect

A

smith defines SITUATION aspect as the TEMPORAL STRUCTURE of SITUATIONS

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3
Q

Viewpoint aspect

A

like a “camera lens” that enables speaker to present a situation from a particular temporal perspective

> PERFECTIVE viewpoint focuses on situation as WHOLE
IMPERFECTIVE viewpoint only focuses on a PORTION of its INTERNAL constituency

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4
Q

LEXICAL ASPECTUAL CLASSES

A

Aspectual characteristics of events coded in the basic VPs
> VPs give a particular description of actual events
EG. read vs read a novel

Eventualities (Bach): term for all types of VP descriptions
> Main subdivision = events and states

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5
Q

Main properties of eventualities

A

Finer classification: started with Aristotle; Zeno Vendler’s used by most linguists

MAIN FEATURES: telicity, duration, and change

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6
Q

Telic events

A

have a NATURAL ENDPOINT (‘telos’), beyond which same event cannot continue

> ‘write a letter’ (also durative), ‘win a race’ (not durative)
NOT the same as ‘bounded’: beginning & end points

Compare:

  1. Al jogged
  2. Mary ran a mile

(1) denotes a past event that is bounded (has an end point)
» true if any amount of jogging took place

(2) denotes a past event that has reached its goal or telos (telic)
» true if the running went on for a mile, false otherwise

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7
Q

Durative events

A

take time; non-durative events are idealized as corresponding to a point in time

> build a house vs reach the summit: +telic; ± durative

> tap vs play the piano: -telic; ± durative

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8
Q

Change:

A

heterogeneous vs homogeneous/static eventualities:

HETEROGENEOUS event contains INTERNAL change -not identical from moment to moment:
> walk, build a house

all parts of HOMOGENUOUS/static eventuality are UNIFORM (states)
> know, be Australian

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9
Q

Vendlers classes

A

states + - -
activities + - +
accomplishments + + +
achievements - + +

(+ semelfactive - - +)

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10
Q

STATES

A
\+ - -
 know, love, be happy, be tall, have green eyes, etc
1. no natural boundaries or culmination
2. durative
3. homogeneous
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11
Q

ACTIVITIES

A
\+ - +
(also processes)
run, walk, swim, play the piano, write, sing, dance etc.
1. atelic
2. durative
3. heterogeneous
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12
Q

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

A

+ + +
more complex structure - activity leading up to a culmination
EG. build a house, play a sonata, write a novel, run a mile etc.
1. Telic
2. Durative
3. Heterogeneous

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13
Q

ACHIEVEMENTS

A
- + +
win the race, reach the summit, die etc.
1. telic
2. non durative
3. heterogeneous (change = event itself)
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14
Q
other class (not Vendler's classification)
SEMELFACTIVE
A
    • +
      tap, wink, knock, hiccough
      1. atomic/punctual events; not telic points though
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15
Q

TESTS: In X amount of time

A

helps identify TELICITY
> combines well with telic VPs, not so well with other classes

So, ‘In’ adverbials LOCATE a POINT IN TIME WITHIN AN INTERVAL
> with achievements (punctual) event takes place at end of interval
> with accomplishments, activity preceding telic point occupies interval
» with activities and states, no point for ‘in’ adverbial to attach to

‘In’ adverbials are better with activities & states if the TENSE IS FUTURE
> She will play the piano in an hour.
> They will be happy in a month

Interpretation is that the activity or state will start at the time denoted by the adverbial (inception/onset
reading)

REINTERPRETATION POSSIBLE THANKS TO COERCION

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16
Q

TESTS: For X amount of time

A

Fine with activities and states; FOR adverbials express DURATION of an ATELIC event

to use as Test, focus on interpretation where EVENT DURATION is expressed

Plural arguments allow an ITERATIVE interpretation: NON-telic reading

> Guests arrived for two hours.
Mary built houses for years

> he sneezed for five minutes

17
Q

TESTS: It took X amount of time to VP

A
  • selects telic events & works better with accomplishments as they are durative
  • if event is non-durative, we need to be able to re-interpret it as including a ‘process’ part:
    »> sense of anticipation/expectation that it would take place
    » If we have a non-telic VP, we need to be able to identify a ‘point’, e.g. onset of a state or activity
  • not good for activities:
  • it took half an hour for mary to push the trolley
  • state has INCEPTIVE reading
    It took 5 mins for Mary to be happy
    » identifies starting point of state
18
Q

TESTS: agentivity

A

persuade X to VP
deliberately + VP

> Agentivity tests discriminate between accomplishments & activities (OK) and achievements & states (not
OK)
> accomplishments and activities both contain a process part
> process is dynamic, not static, and extends in time

19
Q

the SUB-INTERVAL PROPERTY

A

Telic events can be distinguished from atelic ones using the sub-interval property
» Not a diagnostic test, but useful esp. when discussing progressives
> Telic events occur at a time interval
> Have beginning, middle and end