Semantics

PARADIGMATIC RELATIONS II 151
Aspect and tense are interrelated issues. Aspect systems help us to relate
situations and time and to view an event in several ways. We can mention, for
instance, the progressive or the perfect aspects.
Aspectual classes can be defined along three basic dimensions: change,
boundness and duration.
Cruse uses the term event to cover both states and events. Other authors
such as Saeed use the term situation to include the Vendler classification
of events into four major types. Here we closely follow Cruse classification
of basic aspectual features.
Change: A state of affairs can be constructed as changing or as
remaining constant. A situation is described as homogeneous if it is
construed as unchanging and heterogeneous if it is construed as changing.
For example, if something ‘happens’ or ‘is happening’ then change is
involved. For example, freeze implies a change of state. Other authors refer
to this as a static or non-static state of affairs.
Boundness: some events are construed as having one or more inherent
boundaries that can be at the beginning or the end of an event. It is the
final boundary which is generally regarded as the more important one.
An event with a final boundary is described as telic and one with no final
boundary as atelic. A telic event is ‘finishing’ or ‘being completed’.
Duration: An event may be constructed as taking time to unfold, or as
occurring in an instant. An instantaneous event is described as punctual
and an event that is spread over a time interval is described as durative.
For example, the Spanish past tense system grammaticalizes this aspect
in differentiating between comía y comió.
This language exemplifies very clearly the durative / puntual distinction.
See, for example, the following contrasts:
a) María escribió una carta / b) María escribía una carta
a) Juan preparó la comida / b) Juan preparaba la comida
where the a) examples feature completed actions and the b) examples
describe actions that take place over a period of time.
However, in most languages, Spanish and English included, there is
an interaction between situation type and aspect. For example, certain
verb forms, such as progressives, are used with some situation types but
not with others. In any language, the options for describing situations are
constrained by natural combinations of situation type, aspect and tense,
and speakers know the valid combinations. According to Saeed, it is the
task of semanticists to reflect and describe this knowledge.