Download LIN241 Tutorial 8 answers

LIN241 Intro to Semantics
Winter 2019
Tutorial 8
Learning objectives

Practice tests of Aktionsart
Exercise 1 (Kearns 2011)
Using the linguistic tests for Aktionsarten, try to classify the bracketed predicates in the sentences
below as reporting accomplishments, achievements, states, processes or semelfactive events. Give the
feature values for the predicates (±telic, ±durative, ±dynamic).
Note: classifying predicates by Aktionsart is not an exact science, and is difficult for non-native
speakers. Consult a native speaker if you can. What matters is to apply the tests consistently, don’t be
worried if judgments vary to some extent.
a.
The door [creaked open].
achievement
+dynamic: “The door creaks open” is habitual/frequentative
-durative: “The door creaked open at 9pm” locates the whole opening at 9am
+telic: “The door creaked open in a matter of seconds”
b.
Sam [got the joke] about three minutes later.
This is arguably an achievement that can be coerced to a result state.
-/+dynamic:
“Sam gets the joke” is not habitual/frequentative
[arguably: “get the joke” describes an event, but the present tense can force a
result state interpretation: Sam is in the state of having understood the joke.]
???“Get the joke!”
???“Sam got the joke deliberately”
???“Bill forced Sam to get the joke”
despite the availability of a stative interpretation in the present, the predicate
clearly describes a change of state in the past tense, cf. next test
-durative:
“Sam got the joke at 9am” locates the “getting it” moment at 9am
+telic:
“It took an hour for Sam to get the joke”
???“Sam got the joke for an hour”
b.
Jerry [is a great talker].
state
-dynamic:
???“Jerry is being a great talker” [except in an odd “acting like” sense]
???“Be a great talker!”
???“Bill forced Jerry to be a great talker.”
+durative:
#“Jerry is a great talker at 9am” [permanent state: doesn’t make sense]
-telic:
???“It took years for Sam to be a great talker”
compare: “It took years for Sam to become a great talker”
note: you might find the test sentence acceptable with a “become interpretation.”
That is an example of coerced inchoative interpretation of a state. An inchoative
predicate describes the beginning of an event or the moment of transition to a
state.
c.
Elsa [chewed her way through half a goat].
accomplishment
+dynamic:
“Elsa is chewing her way through half a goat” [present progressive OK]
+durative
“At 9am, Elsa chewed her way through half a goat” is inchoative [she started at
9am]
+telic:
“Elsa chewed her way through half a got in 20 minutes”
d.
Liam [picked at his food].
process/activity
+dynamic
“Liam picks at his food” is habitual/frequentative
“Liam is picking at his food” is OK
“Liam picked at his food deliberately” is OK
+durative
“At 9am, Liam picked at his food” is inchoative
-telic
“Liam picked at his food for a few minutes”
e.
The cheese [was rancid].
State
-dynamic
“The cheese is rancid” is not habitual/frequentative
+durative
“At 9am, the cheese was rancid”, to the extent that it is good, locates 9am
within an interval were the cheese was rancid (a “result state”
interpretation is also coerced: the cheese is finally rancid at 9am, after a
process that started earlier)
-telic
we reason that it is atelic because we convinced ourselves that it is stative,
but this is hard to test because “rancid” is a permanent property, which is
not susceptible to temporal modification by in/for adverbials:
The cheese was rancid ???in/???for a few hours
[arguably: “in a few hours” coerces an inchoative “become”
interpretation]
f.
James [read some of his strange poems].
activity/process
+dynamic
“James is reading some of his strange poems” is OK
“(Every evening,) James reads some of his stange poems” [habitual]
+durative
“At 9pm, James read some of his strange poems” [inchoative]
-telic
“James read some of his strange poems for/???in two hours”
g.
A soft light [shone on the hills].
activity/process
+dynamic
“(Every morning,) a soft light shines on the hills” [habitual]
“A soft line is shining on the hill” is OK
+durative
“At 9am, a soft light shone on the hill” [inchoative]
-telic
“A soft light shone on the hills for/??? in five hours”
Exercise 2 (Kearns 2011)
Follow the instructions for Exercise (1) – this time you need to identify the relevant part of the sentence
as the basic predicate.
a.
Max [drew his pistol]
achievement
+dynamic
???“Max draws his pistol”
“Max is drawing his pistol”
“Max drew his pistol deliberately”
b.
-durative
“At 9pm, Max drew his pistol” [locate moment of drawing at 9am]
+telic
“It only took a few seconds for Max to draw his pistol”
Donald [heated the solution]
accomplishment/process [depending on context]
+dynamic
“Donald is heating the solution”
???“Donald heats the solution”
[you might accept this sentence with a coerced habitual inchoative interpretation]
“Bill forced Donald to heat the solution”
c.
+durative
“At 9am, Donald heated the solution” is inchoative.
+/-telic
“Donald heated the solution in/for 10 minutes”
Donald [heated the solution to 70 degrees]
accomplishment
+dynamic
“Donald is heating the solution to 70 degrees”
???“Donald heats the solution to 70 degrees”
[you might accept this sentence with a coerced habitual inchoative interpretation]
“Bill forced Donald to heat the solution to 70 degrees”
d.
+durative
“At 9am, Donald heated the solution to 70 degrees” is inchoative
+/-telic
“Donald heated the solution to 70 degrees in/???for 10 minutes”
Donald [heated the solution] for five minutes.
See b;
e.
Tim [doodled on the tablecloth] listlessly.
activity/process
+dynamic
“Tim doodles on the tablecloth” [habitual]
“Tim is doodling on the tablecloth” is OK
+durative
“At 9am, Tim doodled on the tablecloth” [inchoative]
- telic
f.
“Bill doodled on the tablecloth for/???in half an hour”
[A strange mushroom appeared on the lawn].
Achievement
g.
+dynamic
???“A strange mushroom appears on the lawn”
note: progressive bad because this is an achievement
note: tests of agentivity bad because this is an unaccusative verb
-durative
“At 9am, a strange mushroom appeared on the lawn” locate moment at
which the mushroom appeared
+telic
“A strange mushroom appeared on the lawn in a matter of seconds”
???“A strange mushroom appeared on the lawn for a few days”
[to the extent that it is acceptable” quantifies the lifespan of the
mushrooms, rather than the run time of events of appearing]
[Strange mushrooms appeared on the lawn] overnight.
Process (derived from an achievement interpretation that is still available too)
h.
+dynamic
“Strange mushrooms appear on the lawn” [habitual/frequentative]
-/+durative
“At 9am, strange mushrooms appeared on the lawn”
arguably, can locate the whole event at 9am, or can be interpreted as
expressing the beginning of a process of mushrooms showing up
+/-telic
“It took a few hours for strange mushrooms to appear on the lawn”
“Strange mushrooms appeared on the lawn for a few days”
Liam [talked himself into a rage] over the building consent.
Accomplishment
+dynamic
“Liam is talking himself into a rage”
“Liam ?(often) talks himself into a rage”
[you find this sentence acceptable in a coerced habitual interpretation]
+durative
“At 9am, Liam talked himself into a rage” [inchoative]
+telic
“It only took a few minutes for Liam to talk himself into a rage”
Exercise 3 (Riemer 2010)
Adding a durative adverb like “all night” or “for three hours” to a punctual verb like “cough” results in
an iterative or repetitive interpretation (i.e. ‘again and again’). Thus in “The patient coughed all night”
we interpret the activity as a sequence of individual coughs throughout the night. Use this behaviour to
identify the punctual verbs among the following:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
drive
DURATIVE
Test:
John drove all night. [not iterative]
ring
PUNCTUAL
Test:
The telephone rang for three hours [iterative]
tap
PUNCTUAL
Test:
John tapped his feet for a few minutes [iterative]
sigh
PUNCTUAL
Test:
Mary sighed during the whole event. [iterative]
fly
DURATIVE
Test:
The plane flew all night. [not iterative]
twitch
PUNCTUAL
Test:
His zygomatic major twitched all day. [iterative]
sob
DURATIVE?
Test:
He sobbed all day [I find it hard to tease apart the iterative from continuous
reading in this example]
“At that moment, he sobbed” has an inchoative reading that suggests a durative
interpretation
(8)
float
DURATIVE
Test:
The plastic bag floated on the surface of the lake for a few days. [no repetition]