The compositionality of aspect and its analysis, /

Abstract

Various features (such as the situation type of the verb phrase, mass/count and definite/ indefinite nature of the noun phrases, adverbials, aspect, tense, orientation, etc.) combine to create the aspectual nature of sentences. The final aim ofthis study is to define and categorize as many ofthese compositions as possible in order to determine how aspect is derived with predictive value. Although a few of these features, like adverbials and the behavior of mass/count nouns, are well-understood by linguists, other features, like 'orientation' and 'aktionsart,' lie on the frontier oflinguistic, semantic, and philosophical study. Thus, much of the space of this study is devoted to these preliminary matters, so as to examine aspectual compositionality in a more coherent way. The aim of this study is achieved in four steps: First, previous research on aktionsart is utilized in the construction of a new model which, I believe, resolves the linguistic and metaphysical difficulties surrounding verbs like pop and discover. I then tum my attention to aspect itself in the third chapter, where I pare the category down to the imperfective/perfective distinction alone. Showing that the perfect, long counted among tenses and aspects, is in fact 'orientation' is the third step. I finally tum my attention to aspect and aktionsart composition in the chapter 5, wherein all major constituents of aspectual construction are identified and patterns of their interaction are noted.