Structuring Events: A Study in the Semantics of Lexical Aspect

1. Verb Classes and Aspectual Classification:.

Introduction.

Aspectual Classes of Verbs.

The four aspectual classes.

Testing for temporal constitution.

Semelfactives.

Can verbs, as opposed to VPs be aspectually categorized?.

2. Progressive Achievements:.

Introduction.

Progressive achievements and the imperfective paradox.

Achievements are not accomplishments.

Temporal Modification.

Progressive achievements are different from progressive accomplishments.

Deriving Progressive Achievements.

Explanations.

3. Resultative Predication:.

Introduction.

The syntax of secondary predication – a fast review.

The semantic interpretation of secondary predication.

Secondary predication as a summing operation.

Semantic constraints on the secondary predication operation.

The semantic interpretation of depictive predication.

Object-oriented depictive predication.

Subject oriented secondary predication.

The semantics of resultatives.

The interpretation of simple resultatives.

The direct object restriction.

Non-accomplishment resultatives.

Type shifting in non-accomplishment resultatives.

The rest of the questions.

Dethematicised resultatives.

Why do resultatives not occur with achievements or states?.

Fake reflexives.

Subject-oriented resultatives.

Conclusions and the next set of questions.

4. The Structure of Accomplishments:.

Incremental Themes and the notion of 'extent'.

Introduction.

'Measuring out' and incrementality.

Krifka's theory of quantization.

A Theory of Accomplishments.

What Are Incremental Themes?.

Culminations.

Incremental processes and incremental relations.

Answering Some Questions about Accomplishments.

Aspectual ambiguity with wipe and read.

The incremental role of the incremental theme.

Kennedy and Levin: Telicity in terms of degree measurements.

5. The Interpretation of Derived Accomplishments:.

Aspectual Shift in Resultatives.

Transitive Accomplishments.

Intransitive resultatives.

Why do resultatives have a 'result' meaning?.

PPs as paths and PPs as results.

Aspectual Shift in Progressive Achievements.

The structure of the shift operation.

The content of the activity and BECOME events.

6. Quantization, Telicity and Change:.

Quantization.

Krifka's theory of quantization.

Telicity and Change.

7. Telicity and Atomicity:.

Telicity and atomicity.

Events have their denotation in the count domain.

Homogeneity and S-cumulativity in the domain of individuals.

Defining sets of atoms.

Atomic structure in the domain of events.

Atomicty and BECOME events.

A note on degree predicates.

For a time and in a time.

8. Event Structure and Aspectual Classification:.

What are semelfactives?.

Why does S-cumulativity characterise states and activities?.

Why do we have the lexical aspectual classes that we do?.

The general picture: lexical aspect and the structure of the domain of events.

References.

Index