Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-jbqgn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-03T07:35:02.273Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5 - Levels of Interaction between Aspect and Tense

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 October 2021

Henk J. Verkuyl
Henk J. Verkuyl
Affiliation:
Utrecht University
Get access

Summary

Chapter 5 describes how all verbs are anchored in the system of positive real numbers R+ by focussing on the meaning of a verb without taking into account its arguments. This makes it possible to distinguish stative from non-stative verbs by assigning to each of them a (mathematical) function determining the value of the eventuality argument ?? of the verb. The next step is then to separate non-stative verbs expressing continuity in R+ from verbs expressing discreteness in N by assigning to the latter a discretizing function mapping from R+ to N. A formal account of aspectual composition from the tenseless bottom to the tensed top S’makes it possible to distinguish the (ten) factors that are in play on different levels of phrase structure.

Keywords

continuitydiscreteness discretization function indeterminacylambda operatormodalitynegationnon-stativestativeterminative
Type
Chapter
Information
The Compositional Nature of Tense, Mood and Aspect , pp. 131 - 168
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×