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Aspect (with special focus on Russian and other Slavic languages)

Vak
2009-2010

Course Description

One of the most intriguing categories of Russian (and other Slavic languages) is verbal aspect. In Russian all verbs (irrespective of the tense or mood that they express) are marked for aspect. The term ‘aspect’ is in fact assumed to be a translation of the Russian term vid (‘view’). By using either an imperfective or a perfective aspect of the verb, the speaker expresses a particular ‘view’ on the event expressed by the verb. Many different scholars have proposed very general definitions of the difference between the perfective and the imperfective aspect in Russian (e.g. the perfective conceptualizes the event in its totality; the imperfective does not conceptualize the event in its totality). Nevertheless, it has been the topic of heated debated what exactly are the rules of aspect. Furthermore, in modern linguistics there has been an increasing interest in the relation between the category of aspect in Slavic, and similar categories in other languages. To give an example, do English, French or non-Indo-European languages also have aspect? What are the differences and similarities between aspect in Slavic and similar linguistic phenomena, such as Aktionsart?

Schedule

2nd semester, Block 1 and 2;
Fridays, 13.00-15.00 hrs (VRIESH2/006A)

Goals

To be added.

References

To be announced

Examination

Presentation, paper, assignments

Information

Instructor: e.fortuin@hum.leidenuniv.nl