The Locus and Properties of Syntactic Elements Affecting the Domain of Aspectual Interpretation in Persian

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student of Linguistics, Department of Lingustics, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.

2 Associate Professor of Linguistics, Institute for Research and Development in the Humanities (SAMT), Tehran, Iran

3 Assistant Professor of Linguistic, Department of Lingustics, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Tehran Central Branch, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

.Lexical aspect is a semantic feature that concerns how the event described by the verb develops along a timeline. It has two independent features: object-to-event mapping and event feature. The interaction of these two features form a syntactic space within the verb phrase called ‘domain of aspectual interpretation’. The main question of the research is: which syntactic elements affect the formation of domain of aspectual interpretation in Persian eventive predicates. To answer this question, the syntactic derivation of achievement and accomplishment verbs and the formation of their domain of aspectual interpretation have been analyzed according to Mac Donald’s approach (2006, 2008). The results of the study show that if internal argument is quantified noun or bare plural noun, underspecified event feature will co-index with AspP and finally extended domain of aspectual interpretation is formed. But if internal argument is mass noun, it will co-index with vP and minimal domain of aspectual interpretation is formed. The results also indicate that not only the presence or absence of the [quantity] feature is determinative in defining the aspectual domain of interpretation, but also the existence of AspP and the location of internal argument after moving in tree diagram are effective in defining this domain.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Abolhassani Chimeh, Z. (2011). Types Of Lexical Aspect in Persian Verbs. Persian literature journal, 1 (6), 123-197 (In Persian).
Adger, D. (2003). Core Syntax: A Minimalist Approach. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Baker, M. (2015). Case: its principle and its Parameters. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Baker, M., & Vinokurova, N. (2010). Two Modalities of Case Assignment: Case in Sakha. Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, 28, 593–642.
Bobaljik, J. D. (2006). Where’s phi? Agreement as a post-syntactic operation. Ms. Thesis. University of Connecticut.
Borer, H. (1994). The projection of arguments. In E. Benedicto & J. Runner (Eds.), University of Massachusettes Occasional Papers 17 (Pp. 19-47). Massachusetts: Amherst.
Brown, K., & Miller, J. (2013). The Cambridge Dictionary of Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Cheraghi, Z. & Karimi Dostan, Gh. (2013). The Classification of Persian Verbs based on eventual and aspectual structure. Language researches, 4 (2), 41-60 (In Persian).
Čok, T. (2020). Lexical aspect classification for unrelated languages: a case study on Slovenian and Chinese lexical aspect. Acta Linguistica Asiatica, 10 (2), 49-64.
Comrie, B. (1976). Aspect: An introduction to the study of verbal aspect and related problems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Croft, W. (2012). Verbs: aspect and causal structure. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Darzi, A. (2009). Case and Agreement in rasing structure in finite sentences. Faculty of letters and humanities university of Tehran, 60 (179), 73-109 (In Persian).
Golfam, A. (2006). Principle of Grammar. Tehran: SAMT (In Persian)
Harley, H. (2005). The syntax of aspect. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Krifka, M. (1989). Nominal Reference, Temporal Constitution and Qualification in Event Semantics. In R. Bartsch, J. Van Benthem & P. Von Emde Boas (Eds.), On semantic & Contextual expression (pp. 75-115). Dordrecht: Foris.
Larson, R. K. (1988). On the Double Object Construction. Linguistic Inquiry, 19.3: 335-391.
MacDonald, J. E. (2006). The syntax of inner aspect. Doctoral Dissertation in linguistic. New York: University of Stony Brook.
MacDonald, J. E. (2008). Domain of aspectual interpretation. Amsterdam: Benjamins.
Miremadi, A. (2001). Persian and English Syntax through minimalism. Tehran: Farhikhteh (In Persian).
Mofidi Neystanak, R. (2011). Event Structure and its Determinants in Persian. Doctoral Dissertation in linguistic. Tehran: Tarbiat Modares University (In Persian).
Radford, A. (2016). Analysing English sentence (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ramchand, G. (1993). Aspect phrase in modern Scottish Gaelic. In A. Schafer (Ed.), proceeding of NELS 23 (pp. 415-429). UMass, Amherst: GLSA.
Ritter, E & Rosen, S. (1998). Delimiting events in Syntax. In M. Butt &W. Geuder (Eds.). The projection of arguments:Lexical and compositional factor (Pp. 135-164). Stanford: CSLI.
Rothstein, S. (2004). Structuring Event: A study in the Semantics of Lexical aspect. Oxford: Black well.
Tenny, C. (1987). Grammaticalizing aspect and affectedness.Doctoral Dissertation in linguistics, Boston: MIT.
Travis, L. (1991). Inner Aspect and the Structure of VP. Ms. Thesis, McGill University, Toronto, Canada.
Travis, L. (2010). Inner aspect and the structure of VP. Montreal: Springer.
Vendler, Z. (1967). Linguistics in philosophy. New York: Cornell University Press.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics