The Progressive in Modern English: A Corpus-Based Study of Grammaticalization and Related Changes

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 4
ISBN 9789042031432......Page 5
Acknowledgments......Page 6
Table of Contents......Page 8
1.1 General description of the study......Page 11
1.2 Brief overview of the state-of-the-art and aims of the present study......Page 12
1.3 Organization of the study......Page 13
2.1 Grammaticalization as a theoretical framework......Page 15
2.2 The relation between grammaticalization and subjectification......Page 17
2.3 Choice of corpus......Page 19
2.4 Retrieval of progressive instances from the corpus......Page 24
2.6 The relation between evidence from corpora and actual language use......Page 27
2.7 Statistical methods......Page 28
2.8 Terminology and conventions......Page 30
3.1.1.1 The subjective nature of aspect......Page 33
3.1.1.2 Grammatical aspect and situation type......Page 34
3.1.1.3 More formalized approaches to aspect......Page 37
3.1.2.1 The differences between general imperfective and progressive markers......Page 40
3.1.2.2 Clines of grammaticalization of imperfectives and progressives......Page 41
3.1.2.3 The English progressive today – general imperfective or progressive?......Page 42
3.1.2.4 Specific aspectual meanings: time-frame and ‘Aktuelles Präsens’......Page 45
3.1.3 The ‘imperfective paradox’......Page 47
3.2.1.1 The progressive and reference to duration......Page 54
3.2.1.2 The progressive and reference to limited duration......Page 56
3.2.2.1 The progressive turns statives into dynamic situations......Page 59
3.2.2.2 The progressive turns dynamic situations into statives......Page 62
3.2.3 Agentivity......Page 64
3.2.4 Overt and covert situations......Page 65
3.2.4.1 The progressive as marker of overt activity......Page 66
3.2.4.2 The progressive and covert situations......Page 69
3.3 The progressive as expression of speaker attitude and emotion......Page 71
3.3.1 Subjective progressive with ALWAYS......Page 73
3.3.2 Subjective progressive without ALWAYS......Page 76
3.3.3 Interpretative progressive......Page 78
3.4 A ‘basic meaning’ or ‘core value’ for the progressive?......Page 82
4. A brief overview of the development of the progressive before the Modern English period......Page 87
4.1.1 Which construction is the ancestor of the PDE progressive? He wæs huntiende vs. he wæs on huntung......Page 88
4.1.2 Language-internal explanations......Page 89
4.1.3 Language contact-based explanations......Page 91
4.2.2 The functions of the progressive in OE and ME......Page 92
4.2.2.1 The progressive as marker of aspect......Page 93
4.2.2.2 The progressive and the nature of the situation......Page 95
4.2.2.3 The progressive as expression of speaker attitude and emotion......Page 97
4.2.2.4 A ‘basic meaning’ or ‘core value’ for the progressive in Old and Middle English?......Page 98
5.1 General overview of the changes in frequency from c1500 to c2000......Page 100
5.2 Distribution across genres......Page 105
5.3 Impact of sociolinguistic variables......Page 112
5.4 Possible reasons for the increase in frequency......Page 115
5.5 Frequency of the type to be a-hunting......Page 117
6. Linguistic contexts of the Modern English progressive......Page 121
6.1 The loss of double -ing......Page 122
6.2 The emergence of the passive progressive......Page 124
6.3 Variation across the verbal paradigm......Page 129
6.4 Clause types......Page 136
6.5 Adverbial modification......Page 142
6.6 Subject types......Page 150
6.7 Situation types......Page 156
6.8 The progressive of full verbs be and have......Page 163
6.9 Linguistic contexts of the type to be a-hunting......Page 167
7. The functions of the progressive in Modern English......Page 170
7.1.1 General overview of the development of the aspectual function......Page 171
7.1.2 General imperfective, progressive and derived aspectual meaning......Page 176
7.1.3 Specific meanings of general imperfective and progressive markers......Page 179
7.1.4 Derived aspectual meanings......Page 186
7.1.5 A short reconsideration of the ‘imperfective paradox’......Page 194
7.2.1 Duration......Page 196
7.2.2 Stativity and dynamism......Page 198
7.2.3 Agentivity......Page 200
7.2.4 Overt and covert situations......Page 206
7.3 The progressive as expression of speaker attitude and emotion......Page 209
7.3.1 The classification of subjective progressives......Page 211
7.3.2 Subjective progressive with ALWAYS......Page 220
7.3.3 Subjective progressive without ALWAYS......Page 224
7.3.4 Interpretative progressive......Page 229
7.4 The functions of the type to be a-hunting......Page 233
7.5 Diachronic change in the functions of the progressive......Page 234
7.6 Distribution of functions across genres......Page 236
8.1 Evidence for grammaticalization of the progressive......Page 244
8.2 Evidence for subjectification of the progressive......Page 250
9.1 Results on the development of the English progressive......Page 256
9.2 Results concerning methodology and general theoretical assumptions......Page 261
9.3 Suggestions for further research......Page 262
References......Page 263
Back Page......Page 284