Past Event

Verbal Particles as Markers of Situation Type

Ida Toivonen
(Carleton University)

This talk concerns verbal particles in their use as markers of situation type (verbal aspect, Aktionsart). For example, the particle ‘on’ can only combine with activities, not states, accomplishments or achievements: ‘walk on’, but *’love on’, *`destroy on’, *’win on’. 

The discussion is based on data from English and Swedish. I will present an analysis that makes use of the Vendler/Dowty classes of verbal aspect and is formalized in Lexical Functional Grammar.