Aspect in English A “Common-Sense” View of the Interplay between Verbal and Nominal Referents

Based on an earlier edition published in 1992 in Bulgarian, this book offers a specific approach to one of the most controversial problems in linguistics. According to it, aspect is the result of a subtle and complex interplay between the referents of verbs and nouns in the sentence. Special attention is paid to the role nouns and noun phrases play in the explication of aspect in English (and similar languages). The grammatical marking of aspect is shown to be a compensatory phenomenon imposed by language structure. Comparisons made using Slavic (mainly Bulgarian) data reveal that compositional aspect is a mirror image of verbal aspect. When explicated compositionally, aspect is also determined by pragmatic factors. Ultimately, it is part of man's cognitive potential.

1. On the essence of aspect.- 2. Vendler’s classification of situations, and the problem of its interpretation.- 3. Verkuyl’s theory of compositional aspect.- 4. The article and the related markers of quantity in the expression of aspect in English.- 5. Extension in time of subjects and objects from a “common-sense” point of view.- 6. The mechanism for mapping the temporal values of subjects and objects.- 7. The interdependence between markers of boundedness in verbs and in nouns.- 8. The Progressive in English.- 9. Lexical meanings of verbs, and aspect in English.- 10. Meanings of nouns and noun phrases, and aspect in English.- 11. The impact of adverbials in the sentence, and aspect in English.- 12. On negativity and the explication of perfectivity.- 13. On aspectual classes in English.- 14. On ‘knowledge of the world’ in the explication of aspect in English.- Conclusion.- Appendix. The major characteristics of the Bulgarian tense-aspect system.- References.- Index of terms.- Index of authors.