958868 Hanna Glad Inlaga 212S.Indd
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Hanna Glad Hanna Linnaeus University Dissertations No 261/2016 Hanna Glad Aspectuality structure and event K EEP V - ING KEEP V-ING Aspectuality and event structure Lnu.se isbn: 978-91-88357-31-1 linnaeus university press 958868 Hanna Glad_omsl_12,3mm_T.indd Alla sidor 2016-08-03 14:31:35 Keep V-ing Aspectuality and event structure Linnaeus University Dissertations No 261/2016 KEEP V-ING Aspectuality and event structure HANNA GLAD LINNAEUS UNIVERSITY PRESS Keep V-ing. Aspectuality and event structure Doctoral dissertation, Department of Languages, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden, 2016 ISBN: 978-91-88357-31-1 Published by: Linnaeus University Press, 351 95 Växjö, Sweden Printed by: Elanders Sverige AB, 2016 Abstract Glad, Hanna (2016). Keep V-ing. Aspectuality and event structure, Linnaeus University Dissertation No 261/2016, ISBN: 978-91-88357-31-1. Written in English. The principal aim of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive account of the meaning of keep V-ing constructions, see (1a) and (1b). (1) a. Mary kept winning (again and again). b. John kept running (for another ten minutes). On the basis of a systematic study of combinations of keep with predicates of different aktionsarts, it is shown that keep can give rise to two different readings which share the overall meaning of ‘continued activity’. It is argued that the two readings of keep V-ing arise from different aspectual properties of the predicate in the complement clause. Under the first reading, labelled the continuative-iterative reading, (1a), the event in the complement clause is telic, and the interpretation is an iterative reading. Under the second reading, labelled the continuative reading, (1b), the event in the complement clause is atelic, and the interpretation is a reading of nonstop continuation. It is argued that keep combines with activity predicates in the relevant construction type, that is, with dynamic, durative and atelic events, and that keep has the ability to induce aspect shift when combining with predicates that are not inherent activities. Thus, in (1a), a punctual and telic winning event is iterated, creating a series which in itself is durative and atelic. In (1b), the running event is already durative and atelic. By comparing keep V-ing with the progressive construction be V-ing, (2), and with two other continuative constructions, continue V-ing, (3), and V on, (4), it is shown that keep readily shifts a telic predicate into an atelic reading by taking scope over the entire event, (1a), but cannot take scope over an internal part of a telic event. Both be V-ing, (2), and continue V-ing, (3), are able to take scope over an internal part of a telic event. (2) John was building the house. (3) John continued building the house. (4) John ran on. In addition, unlike continue V -ing and V on, keep V-ing does not necessarily denote continuation of an event which has already been initiated. Keywords: aspect, aktionsart, event structure, telicity, boundedness, iteration, continuation, aspectualizers, progressive constructions, aspect shift. Contents List of tables vii Acknowledgements ix 1 Introduction 1 1.1 The keep V-ing construction............... 2 1.2Aim............................. 4 1.3Outlineofthethesis.................... 6 2 Theoretical background 8 2.1 Syntax, the lexicon, and the division of labour . 9 2.2 Linguistic vs. encyclopaedic meaning . 10 2.3Aspect............................ 11 2.3.1 Situation aspect vs. viewpoint aspect . 11 2.4TheVendlerclasses..................... 13 2.5 Ramchand (2008): a model of event structure . 18 2.5.1 Initiation, process and result features . 18 2.5.2 Decomposing the functional sequence . 19 2.5.3 The semantic interpretation of structure . 25 2.5.4 Telicity....................... 28 2.6 Verb classes based on categorial features . 38 2.6.1 Verbs without a [res] feature . 42 ii iii 2.6.2 Verbs with a [res] feature . 52 4.5.5 Keep andsemelfactives..............112 2.6.3 Semelfactives.................... 55 4.5.6 Keep andstates..................114 2.6.4 Stativeverbs.................... 61 4.5.7 Summary......................116 2.6.5 Summaryverbclasses............... 62 2.6.6 Ramchand’s accomplishments . 64 5 Scope and aspect shift 119 2.7Durativityandprocessuality................ 64 5.1 Keep andaspectshift...................120 2.8Pluractionality....................... 67 5.2 The progressive and aspect shift . 121 2.9Summary.......................... 72 5.3 Continue andaspectshift.................124 5.4 V on andaspectshift...................125 3 Previous accounts of the aspectual verb keep 74 5.5Comparison.........................128 3.1Freed(1979)......................... 74 5.5.1 Achievements....................128 3.2Brinton(1988)....................... 79 5.5.2 Accomplishments with DP path .........130 3.3Cappelle(1999)....................... 81 5.5.3 Semelfactives....................134 3.4Palmer(2009)........................ 83 5.5.4 Accomplishments with PP [res] . 136 3.5Toivonen(2006)....................... 85 5.5.5 Intermediatesummary...............138 3.6Duffley(2006)........................ 88 5.6 Keep and accomplishments revisited . 142 3.7terMeulen(2005)...................... 90 5.7Summary..........................149 3.8Verspoor(1999)....................... 91 3.9Egan(2008)......................... 92 6 Continuation 150 3.10Summary.......................... 93 6.1Priorinitiation.......................151 6.2Resumption.........................154 4 Aspectual contributions of keep 96 6.3Summary..........................157 4.1Acontinuativeaspectualizer................ 96 6.4 Keep V-ing - intermediate conclusion . 158 4.2 The meaning of keep:continuation............ 98 4.3 The meaning of V-ing:activity..............100 7 What is keep? 161 4.4 Two readings of keep V-ing ................102 7.1 Keep isanaspectualizer..................161 4.5 Distribution of the two readings of keep V-ing ......103 7.2 Is keep an auxiliary or a full lexical verb? . 162 4.5.1 Keep andactivities.................107 7.3 Keep asacontinuativeoperator..............164 4.5.2 Keep and accomplishments with DP path ....107 7.4 Keep anditeration.....................165 4.5.3 Keep andachievements..............110 7.5 Is keep apluractionalmarker?...............167 4.5.4 Keep and accomplishments with PP [res] . 111 7.6 The syntactic function of keep ...............172 iv v 2.6.2 Verbs with a [res] feature . 52 4.5.5 Keep andsemelfactives..............112 2.6.3 Semelfactives.................... 55 4.5.6 Keep andstates..................114 2.6.4 Stativeverbs.................... 61 4.5.7 Summary......................116 2.6.5 Summaryverbclasses............... 62 2.6.6 Ramchand’s accomplishments . 64 5 Scope and aspect shift 119 2.7Durativityandprocessuality................ 64 5.1 Keep andaspectshift...................120 2.8Pluractionality....................... 67 5.2 The progressive and aspect shift . 121 2.9Summary.......................... 72 5.3 Continue andaspectshift.................124 5.4 V on andaspectshift...................125 3 Previous accounts of the aspectual verb keep 74 5.5Comparison.........................128 3.1Freed(1979)......................... 74 5.5.1 Achievements....................128 3.2Brinton(1988)....................... 79 5.5.2 Accomplishments with DP path .........130 3.3Cappelle(1999)....................... 81 5.5.3 Semelfactives....................134 3.4Palmer(2009)........................ 83 5.5.4 Accomplishments with PP [res] . 136 3.5Toivonen(2006)....................... 85 5.5.5 Intermediatesummary...............138 3.6Duffley(2006)........................ 88 5.6 Keep and accomplishments revisited . 142 3.7terMeulen(2005)...................... 90 5.7Summary..........................149 3.8Verspoor(1999)....................... 91 3.9Egan(2008)......................... 92 6 Continuation 150 3.10Summary.......................... 93 6.1Priorinitiation.......................151 6.2Resumption.........................154 4 Aspectual contributions of keep 96 6.3Summary..........................157 4.1Acontinuativeaspectualizer................ 96 6.4 Keep V-ing - intermediate conclusion . 158 4.2 The meaning of keep:continuation............ 98 4.3 The meaning of V-ing:activity..............100 7 What is keep? 161 4.4 Two readings of keep V-ing ................102 7.1 Keep isanaspectualizer..................161 4.5 Distribution of the two readings of keep V-ing ......103 7.2 Is keep an auxiliary or a full lexical verb? . 162 4.5.1 Keep andactivities.................107 7.3 Keep asacontinuativeoperator..............164 4.5.2 Keep and accomplishments with DP path ....107 7.4 Keep anditeration.....................165 4.5.3 Keep andachievements..............110 7.5 Is keep apluractionalmarker?...............167 4.5.4 Keep and accomplishments with PP [res] . 111 7.6 The syntactic function of keep ...............172 iv v 7.7Summary..........................175 8 Concluding remarks 177 References 179 List of Tables 2.1 The Vendler classes and their feature specifications (Smith, 1997)............................. 14 2.2 Accomplishments in Ramchand’s model . 64 4.1 Verb classes and their feature specifications, transitivity andparticipants......................106 4.2 The distribution of the two readings of keep V-ing: the continuative-iterative reading (‘C-I’) and the continuat- ive reading(‘C’).......................118 5.1 Possible shifts of telic predicates . 141 5.2 Ability to ignore the culmination . 142 6.1 Prior initiation and resumption . 157 7.1 Pluractional readings for different verbs