LINGUIST List 22.5031 Tue Dec 13 2011 Diss: Syntax/Historical Ling/Typology: DeLazero: 'Aspect in Syntax' Editor for this issue: Xiyan Wang <xiyanlinguistlist.org> New! Visit LL's Multitree project for over 1000 trees dynamically generated from scholarly hypotheses about language relationships:             http://multitree.linguistlist.org/ To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.     Octav DeLazero , Aspect in Syntax Message 1: Aspect in Syntax Date: 10-Dec-2011 From: Octav DeLazero <od32cornell.edu> Subject: Aspect in Syntax E-mail this message to a friend Institution: Cornell University Program: Department of Linguistics Dissertation Status: Completed Degree Date: 2011 Author: Octav Eugen DeLazero Dissertation Title: Aspect in Syntax Linguistic Field(s): Historical Linguistics                             Morphology                             Semantics                             Syntax                             Typology Subject Language(s): English (eng)                             German (deu)                             Greek, Ancient (grc)                             Hungarian (hun)                             Latin (lat)                             Polish (pol)                             Russian (rus) Language Family(ies): Germanic                             Indo-European                             Slavic Subgroup Dissertation Director: Michael Weiss Molly Diesing Wayles Browne Dissertation Abstract: This work explores the syntactic dimension of verbal aspect, starting with a discussion of the role of argument structure in the definition of aspect. The proposal includes a theory of argument linking in a Distributed Morphology framework. I argue that the same aspectual opposition, revolving around the expression of transitions between situations by the Perfectives, is manifested in two kinds of contrast in Slavic: Perfective-Imperfective and determinate-indeterminate (in verbs of motion). This comparison suggests that goal-like arguments render a verb inherently Perfective, since the presence of a goal implies a transition between an event and a situation post-event, after the goal has been reached. This conclusion is exploited in a theory of theta-roles and their representation in syntax, with all arguments introduced by functional heads. Some prefixes associated with applicative heads also Perfectivize, when they add a path specification - e.g., the path followed by the action over an incremental Theme until the complete involvement of the Theme. As individual prefixes are associated with individual arguments, I propose that they incorporate into the functional heads introducing arguments, and combine by predicate modification, inheriting the modifier semantics from their original syntactic position as free adverbials. I also discuss prefixes which do not Perfectivize, particularly in comitative applicatives. The second part treats the syntax of outer aspect and actionality, and the role of the latter in the derivation of aspectual subtypes. A general conclusion is that Slavic(-type) aspect is a syntactically diffuse phenomenon, distributed on functional heads both inside and outside the VP, and reflecting its gradual appearance and systematization into one grammatical category. The analyses combine synchronic and diachronic approaches, comparing facts from Indo-European and Hungarian. I suggest that historical explanations are sometimes the best ones for synchronic facts, illustrating this point with cases of structure preservation in semantic change. Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 13-Dec-2011       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.