Turning points in research on inner aspect
Abstract
IIn this paper I provide an overview of some important semantic and syntactic analyses of inner aspect (or event aspect) from the past seven or so decades. A central goal of this work is to show how several generalizations have been questioned in recent decades regarding this grammatical category due to novel empirical findings and the development of linguistic theory. I show how novel data from well-studied and lesser-studied languages require new analyses for a better understanding of old and new aspectual phenomena alike.
References
Alberti, Gábor (2004), Climbing for aspect: with no rucksack. In: É. Kiss, Katalin – van Riemsdijk, Henk (eds), Verb clusters: a study of Hungarian, German and Dutch. John Benjamins, Amsterdam. 253–290. https://doi.org/10.1075/la.69.16alb
Altshuler, Daniel (2014), A typology of partitive aspectual operators. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 32: 735–775. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11049-014-9232-1
Bach, Emmon (1981), On time, tense, and aspect: an essay in English metaphysics. In: Cole, Peter (ed.), Radical pragmatics. Academic Press, New York. 63–81.
Bach, Emmon (1986), The algebra of events. Linguistics and Philosophy 9: 5–16.
Bar-el, Leora (2005), Aspectual distinctions in Skwxwú7mesh. PhD dissertation. University of British Columbia.
Bar-el, Leora – Davis, Henry – Matthewson, Lisa (2005), On non-culminating accomplishments. In: Bateman, Leah – Ussery, Cherlon (eds), Proceedings of the 35th Annual Meeting of the North East Linguistics Society. Graduate Linguistics Student Association, Amherst, MA. 87–102.
Beavers, John (2009), Multiple incremental themes and figure/path relations. In: Friedman, Tova – Ito, Satoshi (eds), Proceedings from Semantics and Linguistic Theory 18. Cornell University, Ithaca. 90–107. https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v18i0.2495
Beavers, John (2011), On affectedness. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 29: 335–370. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11049-011-9124-6
Beavers, John (2012), Lexical aspect and multiple incremental themes. In: Demonte,
Violeta – McNally, Louise (eds), Telicity, change, and state: A cross-categorial view of event structure. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 23–59. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199693498.003.0002
Beavers, John (2013), Aspectual classes and scales of change. Linguistics 54: 681–706. https://doi.org/10.1515/ling-2013-0024
Beavers, John – Koontz-Garboden, Andrew (2020), The roots of verbal meaning. Oxford University Press, Oxford. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198855781.001.0001
Beavers, John – Lee, Juwon (2020), Intentionality, scalar change, and non-culmination in Korean caused change-of-state predicates. Linguistics 58: 1233–1283. https://doi.org/10.1515/ling-2020-0007
Bennett, Michael – Partee, Barbara (1972), Toward the logic of tense and aspect in English. System Development Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.
Borer, Hagit (2005), Structuring sense: the normal course of events. Oxford University Press, Oxford. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199263929.001.0001
Borer, Hagit (2023), A loose end: Some thoughts on (so called) telicity. Előadás az International Workshop on Maximalization Strategies in the Event Domain című műhelykonferencián. 2023. április 18. Debreceni Egyetem.
Comrie, Bernard (1976), Aspect: an introduction to the study of verbal aspect and related problems. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Csirmaz, Anikó (2006), Particles and a two component theory of aspect. In: É. Kiss, Katalin (ed.), Event structure and the left periphery. Springer, Dordrecht. 107–128. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4755-8_6
Csirmaz Anikó (2008), Igei argumentumszerkezet. In: Kiefer Ferenc (szerk.), Strukturális magyar nyelvtan IV. A szótár szerkezete. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. 185–227.
Csirmaz, Anikó (2012), Durative adverbials and homegeneity adverbials. Lingua 122: 1112–1133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2012.05.002
Dahl, Östen (1985), Tense and aspect systems. Basil Blackwell, Oxford.
Dikken, Marcel den – Dékány, Éva (2023), The morphosyntax of the Hungarian sociative and dissociative suffixes. Journal of Uralic Linguistics 2: 75–97. https://doi.org/10.1075/jul.00015.dik
Dowty, David (1979), Word meaning and Montague Grammar. Reidel, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9473-7
Dowty, David (1986), The effects of aspectual class on the temporal structure of discourse: semantics or pragmatics? Linguistics and Philosophy 9: 37–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00627434
Dowty, David (1991), Thematic proto-roles and argument selection. Language 67: 547–619. https://doi.org/10.2307/415037
Filip, Hana (1993), Aspect, situation types and noun phrase semantics. PhD dissertation. University of California, Berkeley.
Filip, Hana (1999), Aspect, eventuality types, and nominal reference. Garland, New York. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203827413
Filip, Hana (2008), Events and maximalization: the case of telicity and perfectivity. In: Rothstein, Susan (ed.), Theoretical and crosslinguistic approaches to the semantics of aspect. John Benjamins, Amsterdam. 217–256. https://doi.org/10.1075/la.110.10fil
Filip, Hana (2012), Lexical aspect. In: Binnick, Robert I. (ed.), The Oxford handbook of tense and aspect. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 721–751. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195381979.013.0025
Filip, Hana – Rothstein, Susan (2005), Telicity as a semantic parameter. Formal Approaches to Slavic Linguistics 14: 139–156.
Goldberg, Adele E. – Jackendoff, Ray (2004), The English resultative as a family of constructions. Language 80: 532–568. https://doi.org/10.1353/lan.2004.0129
Gyuris Beáta – Kiefer Ferenc (2008), Az igék lexikai ábrázolása és az eseményszerkezet. In: Kiefer Ferenc (ed.), Strukturális magyar nyelvtan IV. A szótár szerkezete. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. 229–267.
Hay, Jennifer – Kennedy, Christopher – Levin, Beth (1999), Scalar structure underlies telicity in degree achievements. In: Matthews, Tanya – Strolovitch, Devon (eds), Proceedings of Semantics and Linguistic Theory 9. Cornell University, Ithaca. 127–144. https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v0i0.2833
Higginbotham, James (2000), On the representation of telicity. Kézirat. University of Oxford.
Kardos, Éva (2012), Toward a scalar semantic analysis of telicity in Hungarian. PhD dissertation. Debreceni Egyetem.
Kardos, Éva (2016), Telicity marking in Hungarian. Glossa 1/1, No. 41. https://doi.org/10.5334/gjgl.52
Kardos, Éva (2019), Situation aspectual properties of creation/consumption predicates. Acta Linguistica Academica 66: 491–525. https://doi.org/10.1556/2062.2019.66.4.2
Kardos Éva (2023), A magyar igék lexikális szemantikájának megszorítottsága. Általános Nyelvészeti Tanulmányok 35: 249–280.
Kardos, Éva (2024), Culmination phenomena across languages. Language and Linguistics Compass 18/5: 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/lnc3.12528
Kardos, Éva (2025), Modification in the verbal domain in Hungarian. In: Kishimoto, Hideki – Kawashima, Masashi – Xu, Zicheng (eds), Papers from the International Workshop on the Syntax of Predication and Modification 2024. Kobe University, Kobe. 71–85. https://doi.org/10.24546/0100492868
Kardos, Éva – Farkas, Imola-Ágnes (2022), The syntax of inner aspect in Hungarian. Journal of Linguistics 58: 807–845. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022226721000426
Kennedy, Christopher (2007), Vagueness and grammar: the semantics of relative and absolute gradable predicates. Linguistics and Philosophy 30: 1–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10988-006-9008-0
Kennedy, Christopher – Levin, Beth (2008), Measure of change: the adjectival core of degree achievements. In: McNally, Louise – Kennedy, Christopher (eds), Adjectives and adverbs: syntax, semantics and discourse. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 156–182. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199211616.003.0007
Kiefer Ferenc (1992), Az aspektus és a mondat szerkezete. In: Kiefer Ferenc (szerk.), Strukturális magyar nyelvtan I. Mondattan. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. 797–886.
Kiefer Ferenc (2006), Aspektus és akcióminőség – különös tekintettel a magyar nyelvre. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest.
Kiefer Ferenc – Ladányi Mária (2000), Az igekötők. In: Kiefer Ferenc (szerk.), Strukturális magyar nyelvtan III. Morfológia. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. 453–518.
Kiparsky, Paul (1998), Partitive case and aspect. In: Butt, Miriam – Geuder, Wilhelm (eds), The projection of arguments: lexical and compositional factors. CSLI Publications, Stanford, CA. 109–137.
É. Kiss, Katalin (2002), The syntax of Hungarian. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511755088
É. Kiss, Katalin (2005), First steps towards a theory of the verbal particle. In: Piñón, Christopher – Siptár, Péter (eds), Approaches to Hungarian 9. Papers from the Düsseldorf conference. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. 57–88.
É. Kiss, Katalin (2006), The function and the syntax of the verbal particle. In: É. Kiss, Katalin (ed.), Event structure and the left periphery. Springer, Dordrecht. 17–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4755-8_2
Krifka, Manfred (1986), Nominalreferenz und Zeitkonstitution: zur Semantik von Massentermen, Pluraltermen und Aspektklassen. PhD Dissertation. Universität München.
Krifka, Manfred (1989), Nominal reference, temporal constitution and quantification in event semantics. In: Bartsch, Renate – van Benthem, Johan – van Emde Boas, Peter (eds), Semantics and contextual expression. Foris, Dordrecht. 75–115. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110877335-005
Krifka, Manfred (1992), Thematic relations as links between nominal reference and temporal constitution. In: Sag, Ivan – Szabolcsi, Anna (eds), Lexical matters. CSLI Publications, Stanford, CA. 29–53.
Krifka, Manfred (1998), The origins of telicity. In: Rothstein, Susan (ed.), Events and grammar. Kluwer, Dordrecht. 197–235. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3969-4_9
Landman, Fred (1992), The progressive. Natural Language Semantics 1: 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02342615
Levin, Beth – Rappaport Hovav, Malka (2005), Argument realization. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511610479
Levin, Beth – Sells, Peter (2009), Unpredicated particles. In: Uyechi, Linda – Wee, Lian-Hee (eds), Reality exploration and discovery: pattern interaction in language and life. CSLI Publications, Stanford, CA. 303–324.
MacDonald, Jonathan E. (2008), The syntactic nature of inner aspect: A minimalist perspective. John Benjamins, Amsterdam. https://doi.org/10.1075/la.133
MacDonald, Jonathan E. (2023), The scope of maximalization and the syntax-semantics interface. Előadás az International Workshop on Maximalization Strategies in the Event Domain című műhelykonferencián. 2023. április 19. Debreceni Egyetem.
MacDonald, Jonathan E. – Glodstaf, Walther (2025), Case and inner aspect: no direct relation. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. [Kézirat.]
Maleczki, Márta (1995), On the definiteness effect in Hungarian. A semantic approach. In: Kenesei, István (ed.), Approaches to Hungarian 5. Levels and structures. JATE, Szeged. 261–286.
Maleczki Márta (2008), Határozatlan argumentumok. In: Kiefer Ferenc (szerk.), Strukturális magyar nyelvtan IV. A szótár szerkezete. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. 129–184.
Martin, Fabienne – Demirdache, Hamida (2020), Partitive accomplishments across languages. Linguistics 58: 1195–1232. https://doi.org/10.1515/ling-2020-0201
Martin, Fabienne – Schäfer, Florian (2017), Sublexical modality in defeasible causative verbs. In: Arregui, Ana – Rivero, María Luisa – Salanova, Andrés (eds), Modality across syntactic categories. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 87–108. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198718208.003.0006
Martínez Vera, Gabriel (2021), Degree achievements and maximalization: a cross-linguistic perspective. Glossa 6/1, No 94. https://doi.org/10.16995/glossa.5883
Mourelatos, Alexander P. D. (1978), Events, processes and states. Linguistics and Philosophy 2: 415–434. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00149015
Mourelatos, Alexander P. D. (1981), Events, processes and states. In: Tedeschi, Phillip – Zaenen, Annie (eds), Syntax and semantics 14. Tense and aspect. Academic Press, New York. 191–212. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004373112_012
Piñón, Christopher (1995), Around the progressive in Hungarian. In: Kenesei, István (ed.), Approaches to Hungarian 5. JATE, Szeged. 153–189.
Piñón, Christopher (2006), Weak and strong accomplishments. In: É. Kiss, Katalin (ed.), Event structure and the left periphery. Springer, Dordrecht. 91–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4755-x_5
Pustejovsky, James (1995), The generative lexicon. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/3225.001.0001
Ramchand, Gillian (2008), Verb meaning and the lexicon: a first phase syntax. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486319
Rappaport Hovav, Malka (2008), Lexicalized meaning and the internal temporal structure of events. In: Rothstein, Susan (ed.), Crosslinguistic and theoretical approaches to the semantics of aspect. John Benjamins, Amsterdam. 13–42. https://doi.org/10.1075/la.110.03hov
Rappaport Hovav, Malka – Levin, Beth (1998), Building verb meanings. In: Butt, Miriam – Geuder, Wilhelm (eds), The projection of arguments: lexical and compositional factors. CSLI Publications, Stanford, CA. 97–134.
Rappaport Hovav, Malka – Levin, Beth (2012), Reflections on manner/result complementarity. In: Rappaport Hovav, Malka – Doron, Edit – Sichel, Ivy (eds), Lexical semantics, syntax, and event structure. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 21–38. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544325.003.0002
Ritter, Elizabeth – Rosen, Sara Thomas (1998), Delimiting events in syntax. In: Butt, Miriam – Geuder, Wilhelm (eds), The projection of arguments: lexical and compositional factors. CSLI Publications, Stanford, CA. 135–164.
Ritter, Elizabeth – Rosen, Sara Thomas (2000), Event structure and ergativity. In: Tenny, Carol – Pustejovsky, James (eds), Events as grammatical objects: the converging perspectives of lexical semantics and syntax. CSLI Publications, Stanford, CA. 187–238.
Smith, Carlota (1991/1997), The parameter of aspect. Kluwer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7911-7
Smollett, Rebecca (2005), Quantized direct objects don’t delimit after all. In: Verkuyl, Henk – de Swart, Henriëtte – van Hout, Angeliek (eds), Perspectives on aspect. Kluwer, Dordrecht. 41–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3232-3_3
Surányi, Balázs (2009), Verbal particles inside and outside vP. Acta Linguistica Hungarica 56: 201–249. https://doi.org/10.1556/aling.56.2009.2-3.3
Surányi, Balázs (2014), Structural government in pseudo-incorporation in Hungarian: Pseudo-incorporation by vP-internal phrase-movement. [Kézirat.]
Szabolcsi Anna (1983), A specifikus/nem specifikus megkülönböztetésről. Nyelvtudományi Közlemények 85: 83–91.
Talmy, Leonard (1985), Lexicalization patterns: semantic structure in lexical forms. In: Shopen, Timothy (ed.), Language typology and syntactic description 3: Grammatical categories and the lexicon. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 57–149.
Talmy, Leonard (1991), Path to realization: a typology of event conflation. In: Sutton, Laurel A. – Johnson, Christopher – Shields, Ruth (eds), Proceedings of the 17th Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society. Berkeley Linguistics Society, Berkeley, CA. 480–519. https://doi.org/10.3765/bls.v17i0.1620
Talmy, Leonard (2000), Toward a cognitive semantics. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/6847.001.0001
Tatevosov, Sergei (2008), Subevental structure and non-culmination. In: Bonami, Olivier – Cabredo Hofherr, Patricia (eds), Empirical issues in syntax and semantics 7. CRNS, Párizs. 393–422.
Tenny, Carol (1987), Grammaticalizing aspect and affectedness. PhD dissertation. MIT, Massachusetts.
Tenny, Carol (1994), Aspectual roles and the syntax-semantics interface. Kluwer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1150-8
Thompson, Ellen (2006), The structure of bounded events. Linguistic Inquiry 37: 211–228. https://doi.org/10.1162/ling.2006.37.2.211
Travis, Lisa (2010), Inner aspect: the articulation of VP. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8550-4
Vendler, Zeno (1957), Verbs and times. Philosophical Review 66: 143–160. https://doi.org/10.2307/2182371
Vendler, Zeno (1967), Linguistics in philosophy. Cornell University Press, Ithaca.
Verkuyl, Henk (1972), On the compositional nature of the aspects. Reidel, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2478-4
Verkuyl, Henk (1993), A theory of aspectuality: The interaction between temporal and atemporal structure. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511597848
Wacha Balázs (1978), Az igés-szerkezeti aspektus kategóriája a magyar nyelvben. Bölcsészdoktori értekezés. Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem.
Wechsler, Stephen (2005), Resultatives under the ‘event-argument homomorphism’ model of telicity. In: Erteschik-Shir, Nomi – Rapoport, Tova (eds), The syntax of aspect. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 255–273. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280445.003.0012
