Structuring Events: A Study in the Semantics of Aspect (Explorations in Semantics)

✍ Scribed by Susan Rothstein

• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 218
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Structuring Events presents a novel semantic theory of lexical aspect for anyone interested in the study of verb meanings. Provides an introduction to aspectual classes and aspectual distinctions. Utilizes case studies to present a novel semantic theory of lexical aspect and compare it with alternative theories. Useful for students and scholars in semantics and syntax as well as the neighboring fields of pragmatics and philosophy of language.

✦ Table of Contents

Structuring Events: A Study in the Semantics of Lexical Aspect......Page 5
Contents......Page 7
Preface......Page 9
1.1 Introduction......Page 13
1.2 Aspectual Classes of Verbs......Page 18
1.3 Can Verbs, as Opposed to VPs, be Aspectually Categorized?......Page 41
2.1 Introduction......Page 48
2.2 Progressive Achievements and the Imperfective Paradox......Page 50
2.3 Achievements are not Accomplishments......Page 52
2.4 Deriving Progressive Achievements......Page 57
2.5 Explanations......Page 62
2.6 The Problem of Incrementality......Page 64
2.7 Slow-motion Progressive Achievements......Page 68
3.1 Introduction......Page 71
3.2 The Syntax of Secondary Predication: a Fast Review......Page 72
3.3 The Semantic Interpretation of Secondary Predication......Page 77
3.4.1 The interpretation of simple resultatives......Page 87
3.5.1 Type shifting in non-accomplishment resultatives......Page 89
3.5 Non-accomplishment Resultatives......Page 90
3.6 The Rest of the Questions......Page 94
3.6.2 Why don’t resultatives occur with
achievements or states?......Page 93
3.6.3 Fake reflexives......Page 95
3.7 Subject-oriented Resultatives......Page 96
3.8 Conclusions and the Next Set of Questions......Page 100
4.1 Incremental Themes and the Notion of “Extent”......Page 103
4.2 A Theory of Accomplishments......Page 112
4.3 Kennedy and Levin: Telicity in Terms of Degree Measurements......Page 128
5.1 Aspectual Shift in Resultatives......Page 135
5.2 Aspectual Shift in Progressive Achievements......Page 148
6.1 Quantization......Page 160
6.2 Krifka’s Theory of Quantization......Page 161
6.3 Telicity and Change......Page 166
7.1 Telicity and Atomicity......Page 169
7.2 Events have their Denotation in the Count Domain......Page 170
7.3 Homogeneity and S-cumulativity in the Domain of Individuals......Page 173
7.4 Defining Sets of Atoms......Page 177
7.5 Atomic Structure in the Domain of Events......Page 180
7.6 Atomicity and BECOME Events......Page 183
7.7 A Note on Degree Predicates......Page 188
7.8 For α time and in α time......Page 189
8.1 What are Semelfactives?......Page 195
8.2 Why Does S-cumulativity Characterize States and Activities?......Page 199
8.3 Why Do We Have the Lexical Aspectual Classes that We Do?......Page 203
8.4 The General Picture: Lexical Aspect and the Structure of the Domain of Events......Page 207
References......Page 210
Index......Page 214