LING/JAPN 563 Structure of Japanese Fall 2011

Tense, aspect, and verb classes

0. Introuct!on" #ense an aspect !n $n%l!s& an Japanese
(1) How would we translate the following verbs?
(a) Kinoo, syukudai-o __________ mae ni, terebi-o mi-ta.
yesterday homework-ACC { DO } before NI TV-ACC watch-TA
!esterday, before " did my homework, " wat#hed $%.& '( su-ru
(b) )sita, kuruma-o __________ ato de, syoku*i-o tukuru.
tomorrow car-ACC { WASH } after DE mea-ACC make-!"
$omorrow, after " wash the #ar, " will make su++er.& '( arat-ta
, -a+anese tense (.as+e#t) #ategories often behave differently from similar #ategories in /nglish
(0) "s the -ta form really 1+ast tense2? "s the -r# form really 1+resent tense2?
(3) "s the -te$%-r# form really 1+rogressive2?
(a) Ken-wa susi-o tabe-te4i-ru.
&e'-TO( s#sh%-ACC eat-TE$I-!"
, 5ost salient meaning6 Ken is #urrently in the +ro#ess of eating sushi.&
, 7an also mean6 Ken has eaten sushi.& (has the e)*er%e'ce of or has +#st 'ow)

(b) Kaeru-ga sin-de4i-ru.
fro,-NO- d%e-TE$I-!"
, 7annot mean6 ).the frog is dying right before our eyes.&
, 5ust mean6 ).the frog has died.is dead.&

, 8oal of dis#ussion6 $o introdu#e some linguisti# #on#e+ts related to tense and as+e#t that will
hel+ illuminate some of these differen#es between the way that tense and as+e#t #ategories are
e9+ressed in -a+anese and /nglish.

I. #ense an aspect" 'as!c ter(!nolo%)
(:) $erminology 7omrie (1;<=6 1-3), as +resented by >gihara (1;;;) ' em+hasis added
(a) 1Tense relates the time of the situation referred to to some other time...2

(b) 1Aspects are different ways of viewing the internal temporal consistency of a
situation.2
, >ther s#holars have distinguished between6
(i) Viewpoint aspect: ?hether the s+eaker #hooses to view a situation as not
having started, as being #om+leted, as being ongoing, et#.
(ii) Lexical aspect: "ntrinsi# differen#es between +redi#ates with res+e#t to how the
situation #an be viewed, whi#h that are +artly based on the meaning of the
+redi#ate and +artly arbitrary (similar to what we saw with themati# roles)
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II. Le*!cal aspect" Pre!cates +elon% to !fferent aspectual cate%or!es
(@) /nglish %As (%endler.Bowty #lassifi#ation system) ' note that both the verb and its
arguments #an matter
(a) state Ken knew Cren#h.
(b) a#tivity Ken ate a++les.
(#) a##om+lishment Ken ate an a++le.
(d) a#hievement Ken rea#hed the summit.

(=) Demanti# differen#es among these #ategories
Has the subinterval property
(every subinterval E still true)
(Has duration) (Fo intrinsi# end+oint) (a) state
No subinterval property
Has duration
No intrinsic endpoint (b) activity
Has intrinsic endpoint (c) accomplishment
No duration (Has intrinsi# end+oint) (d) achievement

(<) -a+anese as+e#tual #lassifi#ation by Kindai#hi (1;@G) ' based on the -.r/#, -te$%-r# forms
, -.r/# we&ve been #alling this 1non+ast2 (but see the senten#es in (1) above '?)
, -te gerund suffi9H has same +honologi#al alternations as -ta (1+ast2) suffi9
, %- e9ist, animate& ' also serves as an au9iliary verb with gerund (in whi#h #ase
subIe#t need not be animate)

(J) Kindai#hi&s #lassifi#ation system, and how it relates to the %endler.Bowty system above
(see $suIimura 0GG<H also >gihara #ha+ter in $suIimura (1;;;) Ha'dbook)
Stative ontinuative !nstantaneous Type "
%.B State %.B , Activity
, Accomp#
%.B Achievement (not in %.B
system)
ar$% hanas$e$ tabe$% yom$ sin$% &ie$ su'ure$% sobie$
-te$i-
form
ca'0t.1/ a**ear %'
-te4i-form
tabe-te4i-ru
(a) is eating&
(b) has eaten&
sin-de4i-ru
(a) K
(b) has died.is dead&
sugure-te4i-ru
(a) K
(b) is outstanding&
-(r)u
form
ar-u
(a) e9ists&
(b) will e9ist&
tabe-ru
(a) (often) eats&
(b) will eat&
sin-u
(a) (often) dies&
(b) will die&
ca'0t.1/ a**ear %' -ru
form

(;) Biagnosing as+e#t #lass in -a+anese6 Dtatives
Statives (V% VN% A% AN% N) Non$statives (V% VN)
>ften assign nominative obIe#t Bo not assign nominative obIe#t
)re ty+i#ally non-volitional
, no im+eratives.#ommands
, no -te ok-# do in advan#e& form
5ay be volitional or non-volitional
Have a +referen#e for an overt to+i# CreLuently used with and without overt to+i#

, Fote6 Dome +redi#ates allow both stative and non-stative uses
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(1G) Biagnosing as+e#t #lass in -a+anese6 Achievements(!nstantaneous predicates
, Demanti#ally, these often involve an instantaneous chan'e in state
-( $he same #hange in state is not ne#essarily e9+ressed as an a#hievement +redi#ate
in /nglish6 #om+are s%'-# die& (a#hievement) with /nglish d%e (a#tivity.a##om+)
/96 s%r-#. >ften translated as to know&, but as+e#tual +ro+erties not like /ng k'ow
(a) Dono koto-o sir-u. ' means a++ro9. " will #ome to know that fa#t.&
that fact k'ow-!"

(b) Dono koto-o sit-te4i-ru. ' usual way of e9+ressing " know that fa#t.&
that fact k'ow-TE$I-!"
(11) Fow, look ba#k at (J) and #onsider the usage of the -te$%-.r#/ form in these #lasses
$here are two +ossible inter+retations of the -te$%-r# #onstru#tion6
(a) +rogressive is now %ing&
(b) +erfe#t . resultative has (Iust) %edH is now in a state resulting from having %ed&
, ?hi#h as+e#t #lasses allow whi#h inter+retation(s)? ?hy?
(10) 7onsider duration& and end+oint&6 7an this hel+ us understand the behavior of the
+redi#ate #lasses with res+e#t to -te$%-.r#/ forms?
(a) Dtate ----------- (homogeneously s+ans an interval of timeH has
no intrinsi# end+oint)
(b) )#tivity , , , , , , (iteration or #ontinuation of a#tivity #an itself
#om+rise a time s+an with no intrinsi# end+oint)
(#) )##om+lishment , , , , , M..... (has end+oint, whi#h makes 1resultant state2
a##essible)
(d) )#hievement M................ (o##u+ies a single +oint in timeH 1resultant state2
a##essible)
(11) )#hievement +redi#ates are often used in the -ta form in relative #lauses (>gihara 1;;;)
(a) )ya-wa N soko-no nuketa O oke-o mot-te4i-ru.
Aya bottom-2EN ,o3m%ss%',-TA *a% hod-TE$I-!"
)ya has a +ail that has no bottom.&
, Dide note6 8/F may a++ear instead of F>5 on subIe#ts in relative #lauses.
(b) Ken-wa N *ro ai-ta O mado kara nigedas-u tumori da.
&e' o*e'-TA w%'dow from esca*e-!" %'te't%o' CO("4A-!"
Ken intends to es#a+e from NthroughO an o+en window.&
(10) ?hat is Kindai#hi&s 1$y+e :2?
, >ne +ossibility6 ) 1defe#tive2 sub#lass of another #ategory ' whi#h one?
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III. 'ac, to tense
(13) "f tense establishes relationships amon' times, how #an we inter+ret the differen#es
between /nglish and -a+anese?
(a) Kinoo, syukudai-o __________ mae ni, terebi-o mi-ta.
yesterday homework-ACC { DO } before NI TV-ACC watch-TA
!esterday, before " did my homework, " wat#hed $%.& '( su-ru
(b) )sita, kuruma-o __________ ato de, syoku*i-o tukuru.
tomorrow car-ACC { WASH } after DE mea-ACC make-!"
$omorrow, after " wash the #ar, " will make su++er.& '( arat-ta
(1:) absolute tense6 5arks tem+oral relationshi+s with res+e#t to the utterance time
relative tense6 5arks tem+oral relationshi+s with res+e#t to some contextually salient
time, whi#h may or may not be the utteran#e time
(1@) )elative tense in -a+anese? (Dee >gihara (1;;;) for dis#ussion.)
%-ta %(A) +re#edes some #onte9tually salient time& P 1+ast2
%-r# %(A) does not +re#ede some #onte9tually salient time& P 1non-+ast2
(1=) Ken-wa N *ro terebi-o mita O ato de benkyoo.su-ru.
&e' TV watch-TA after DE st#dy-!"
, 7an be uttered if Ken has not yet started wat#hing $%.
Ken will study after wat#hing $%.& . ...after he has wat#hed $%.&

twatch (-ta) Q tst#dy
tst#dy (-ru) ( t#ttera'ce
, )ny #laims about twatch and t#ttera'ce?
(1<) *ro Fihon e ik-u mae ni, e nihongo-o benkyoo.si-ta.
.I/ 5a*a' to ,o-!" before NI .I/ 5a*a'ese st#dy-TA
Refore " went to -a+an, " studied -a+anese.&

t,o (-ru) ( tst#dy
tst#dy (-ta) Q t#ttera'ce
, )ny #laims about tst#dy and t#ttera'ce?
(1J) Ken-wa N )ya-ga hon-o yonda O to it-ta
&e' Aya book read-TA C say-TA
, )ya&s reading has to +re#ede Ken&s saying.
Fot the same as /nglish +ast in a relative #lause6 Ken said that )ya read the book.&
Ken said that )ya had read the book.&

tread (-ta) Q tsay
tsay (-ta) Q t#ttera'ce
, )ny #laims about tread and t#ttera'ce?
-
I.. Su((ar)" #ense an aspect !n Japanese /an $n%l!s&0
(1;) )s+e#t
(a) -a+anese and /nglish have essentially the same four as+e#t #lasses of +redi#ates (if
-a+anese 1$y+e :2 is a 1defe#tive2 sub#lass of +erha+s )#hievement."nstantaneous)

(b) )#hievement."nstantaneous verbs, with #hange-of-state as an im+ortant +art of their
meanings, are numerous in -a+anese
, )s main-#lause +redi#ates, these often o##ur in the te$%- form, whi#h gets only the
resultative inter+retation (not the +rogressive)
, "n relative #lauses, these often show u+ in the -ta form. $his seems to be a way of
em+hasi*ing the #hange of state, but it is diffi#ult to give a formal semanti#
analysis for (that is #om+atible with other uses of -ta).

(0G) $ense
(a) -a+anese has only relative tense markers
, -ta means +re#edes salient time&H -ru means does not +re#ede salient time&
, Dalient time may be the utteran#e time, or another time made salient in the
dis#ourse (e9am+le6 the time of another +redi#ate)

(b) /nglish has both absolute and relative tense markers
1eferences
7omrie, Rernard (1;<=). As*ect3 7ambridge6 7ambridge Sniversity Aress.
%endler, Teno (1;@<). %erbs and times. The (h%oso*h%ca !e6%ew ==61:3-=G.
Kindai#hi, Haruhiko NO (1;@G). Kokugo doshi no i#hibunrui. 2e',o &e'ky## 1@6 :J-=3.
>gihara, $oshiyuki (1;;;). $he semanti#s of tense and as+e#t in -a+anese. "n Fatsuko $suIimura (ed.),
The Ha'dbook of 5a*a'ese 4%',#%st%cs7 30=-3:J. >9ford6 Rla#kwell.
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