Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Rolf Furuli <furuli AT online.no>]

Dear Stoney,

You may find discussions pertaining to your examples in: Mari Broman 
Olsen (1997) "A Semantic and Pragmatic Model of Lexical and Grammatical 
Aspect. New York: Garland Publishing Inc."  I use several of Mari's 
principles in my work, but I do not agree with her that the definitions 
of English aspects fit other aspectual languages as well.

Best regards

Rolf furuli
University of Oslo

Stoney Breyer wrote:

> -----Original Message-----
> From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Rolf Furuli
> ...
>
> 1) Ann was singing in the bathroom.
> 2) Ann has sung in the bathroom.
>         ...
>         In English, each aspect has just one option for the
> intersection of RT 
>         by ET:  when the imperfective aspect is used, RT intersects ET
> at the 
> 	nucelus (only a small area in the middle is made visible), and
> when
>         the perfective aspect is used, RT intersects ET at the coda
> (only the
>         end is made visible).  In Hebrew there are several options for
> both 
> 	aspects, both regarding the place that RT intersects ET and
> regarding 
> 	the breadth of the intersection.
>
>         This means that in English the end is always visible when the 
> 	perfective aspect is used (the event is completed), and the end
> is 
> 	never visible when the imperfective aspect is used (the event is
>
>         incomplete).
>
> Well, I can't speak to the Hebrew, but in English it ain't that simple -
> aspect is hardly so tied to verbal form.  Consider:
>
> 1) Ann was singing in the bathroom when she fell and broke her neck.
> 2) Ann has sung in the bathroom since 1972 and shows no sign of
> stopping.
>
> Stoney Breyer
> Writer/Touchwood
>
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