Realisation of grammatical categories of the verb II

P A R T 1

1. Aspect: definition and characteristics

2. The category of voice. The lexico-grammatical field of devices expressing different voice notions

3. Categorial voice opposition: active vs passive

4. The problem of reflexive, reciprocal, middle voice

5. General characteristics of the category of mood

6. To the problem of Imperative Mood

7. Subjunctive Mood: overview

P A R T 2

Study questions and projects

1. The Category of Mood: Theories and Approaches.

2. Scheme commentary (attached).

P A R T 3

Sentence parsing

Recommended Reading:

1. Blokh M.Y. A Course in Theoretical English Grammar. - M.: Vyssaja Sckola, 1983. -P. 17-49, P.85-102; P. 137-176; P. 176-203

2. Morokhovskaya E.J. Fundamentals of English Grammar: Theory and Practice. -Kyiv: Vysca Skola, 1993. - P. 61-149, 184-194

3. Иванова И.П., Бурлакова В.В., Почепцов Г.Г. Теоретическая грамматика современного английского языка. -M.: Высшая школа, 1981. -С. 46-86

4. Хрестоматия по английской филологии// Составитель д-р филол. наук проф. Александрова О.В. – М: Высшая школа, 1991. – P.98-103

5. Donnelly, C. Linguistics for Writers. – NY: State University of New York Press, 1994

6. Huddleston, R. English Grammar: An Outline. – Cambridge: CUP, 1988

7. Ilyish, B. The Structure of Modern English. – M.: Prosveshcheniye, 1974

8. O’Grady, W., Dobrovolsky, M., Aronoff, M. Contemporary Linguistics: An Introduction. – NY: St.Martin’s Press, 1989. – p.90-125

1. Aspect: definition and characteristics

   The Aspect is defined as a linguistic representation of the conceptual category of Aspectuality which reflects the mode of the realization of the process irrespective of its timing , i.e. the objective category of Manner of action.

The continuous verbal forms are definitely aspective, because they do not denote the time of the process but reflect the inherent character of the process performed by the verb.

The categorial meaning expresses the nature of the development of the verbal action i.e. “action in progress” M.Bloch offers a special aspective category of development to unite the continuous forms of the verb in opposition to non-continuous ones. The continuous forms are a marked member of the opposition.

H.Sweet and O.Jespersen placed the continuous forms into the tense system on the ground that they express actions going on simultaneously with some other actions. This theory regards not the time of the action but rather the context in which the form is used. Another view of the continuous forms is connected with their temporal-aspective interpretation. This view was worked out by D.Smirnitsky, B.Iliysh, L.Barknudarov. Those linguists who do not recognize the tense status of the Perfect forms consider these to be aspectual ones presented in the opposition of perfect: non-perfect

Bloch M. offers a separate category of retrospective coordination (or “retrospect” for short) due to the fact that the perfect forms coordinate two events, locating one of them in retrospect to the other.

The functional meaning of the category of retrospective coordination has had a long evolution.

At first perfect forms used to be considered a tense category with the perfect denoting additional or secondary characteristics of the action, it showed that the denoted action precedes some other action or situation in the present, past or future. But the denial of the Aspective features of the perfect was a weak point in this theory, offered and developed by H.Sweet, G.Curme, N.Irtenyeva, M. Ganshina and N. Vasilevskaya.

The other view was presented by E.Sornenschein, A.West, G.Vorontstova who believed in the purely aspective nature of the perfect, its semantics being that of resultativeness.

However sound the approach may seem, it certainly underestimated the temporal side and categorial status of the perfect.

The tense-aspect blend view of the perfect is to third possible interpretation offered by I.Ivanova who recognized the perfect as a form of double temporal-aspective character similar to the continuous. The obvious advantage of this approach lies in the inclusion of reasonable ideas of the first two approaches.

A.I.Smirnitsky advanced the interpretation of the perfect by offering the category of time correlation, defined as priority expressed by the perfect forms in the present, past or future and conrasted against the non-expression of priority by the non-perfect forms.

M.Bloch argues that the principle of opposition requires that the ire should be the opposition of marked and unmarked members. On this ground he opposes two categories: the category of prospective development vs the retrospective coordination (see Tense. Seminar 1).