A Theory of Aspectual Choice

Sentential aspect presents a situation (event, state etc.) from a particular point of view: it represents the speaker's choice of perspective on the situation. In this article, a speaker-based approach to aspect is proposed which crucially invokes abstraction, namely the idealization of different types of situations. A speaker relates an actual situation to an idealized type by using the linguistic forms associated with that type. Speakers may choose an unusual way of presenting a situation, as with a progressive stative such as I'm really loving this walk. Here a state is presented as an event. Analysis of stative sentences in English shows that they have a unique aspectual interpretation, and allows for the interpretation of progressive statives. Two components of sentential aspect are recognized. Situation aspect involves type of situation, e.g. event or state; VIEWPOINT ASPECT involves type of perspective, e.g. simple or progressive. Separating these two components leads to a unified account of simple aspect in English.