Aspectual Viewpoint and Situation Type in Mandarian Chinese

The aspectual system of Mandarin is analyzed within a two-component theory of aspect. The components of viewpoint (perfective, imperfective) & situation type (state, event) are independent linguistic categories; their interaction results in the aspectual value of a sentence. Viewpoints are overt categories that present all or part of a situation; they are covert categories signaled by the verb & its arguments. Semantic & syntactic tests are used to establish the aspectual meaning of each viewpoint, & precise semantic values are presented. In addition to perfectives & imperfectives, Mandarin has a neutral viewpoint that arises in sentences with no overt viewpoint morpheme. The analysis is formalized in discourse representation theory, which allows a natural account of aspect & temporal location, & of the relation between situations presented in the sentences of a discourse. 47 References. AA