<OT> New Posting: ROA-590

[Rutgers Optimality Archive]

ROA 590-0403

Unmarked 'already': Aspectual expressions in two varieties of English

Vivienne Fong <vivienne.fong@nyu.edu>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=590


Abstract:
This paper examines variation in the expression of aspect both from a
language-internal and a cross-linguistic perspective. We make the
following proposals: (i) the morpheme 'already' encodes the meaning of two
contrasting phases; (ii) several types of event structures, including that
of the Perfect, also encode a similar meaning of contrasting phases, but
with particular orderings of phases specified. If in addition we assume
Optimality Theory with partial ordering, we derive a range of expressions
of a given aspectual meaning that is cross-linguistically supported, and
show that 'already' emerges as an unmarked aspectual operator in
Colloquial Singapore English.

Keywords: event structure, aspect, Perfect, 'already', language-internal
variation, cross-linguistic variation, markedness

Areas: Syntax,Semantics

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=590