The grammar of ‘non-realization’

Abstract

On the basis of cross-linguistic data from both genetically and geographically related and unrelated languages, in this article we argue that the linguistic phenomena usually referred to as the avertive, the frustrative and the apprehensional belong not to three but to five – semantically related, and yet distinct grammatical categories, all of which involve different degrees of non-realization of the verb situation in the area of Tense-Aspect-Mood: apprehensional, avertive, frustrated initiation, frustrated completion, inconsequential. Our major goal here is to account for these grammatical categories in terms of an adequate model of linguistic categorization. For this purpose, we apply the notion of Intersective Gradience (introduced for the first time in the morphosyntactic domain in Aarts (2004, 2007) to the morphosemantic domain. Thus the present approach reconciles two major approaches to linguistic categorization: (i) the classical, Aristotelian approach and (ii) a more recent, gradience/fuzziness approach.

Türkmence ve Uygurcada Yaklaşma: Bazı özellikleri üzerine

“…With regards to the meaning nuances of AANA in both languages, future studies should classify these, being inspired, e.g. by the already existing classifications by Kuteva et al (2019, such as 'frustrated initiation', 'V was about to', 'frustrated completion' and/or 'inconsequential', etc. ), Plungian (2001) as 'anti-resultative'.…”

“…Different perspectives on the phenomenon have resulted in different definitions and have led to the emergence of various terminological denotations and interpretations. Some terms, such as 'avertive' which has offered by Kuteva (1998), Kuteva et al (2019), 'prospective'/'immediate or imminent future' by Comrie (1976), Talmy (1985), Bybee et al (1994), 'anti-resultative' by Plungian (2001), are better known than others.…”

“…Limited to the Turkic languages, for the phenomenon under discussion, Johanson (2017) offers the term 'propinquities', emphasizing the aspectual value of the meaning. Speaker's attitude toward a probable event along with his assessment of it are considered defining characteristics in this discussion in studies by Lichtenberk (1995), Dobrushina (2006), Kuteva et al (2019). The term 'apprehensive' has been used here to refer primarily to modality domain -speaker judgment of a probable event with unwelcome consequences (Plungian 2011, p. 337), or as 'non-realization of an undesirable verb situation' (Kuteva et al, 2019, 852, 859).…”

Towards a chronology of the modal particles : the diachronic spread in the Ancient Greek mood system

“…Basset 1989: p. 217). As discussed in la Roi (forthcoming a), the latter is a cross-linguistically common strategy to convey a counterfactual implicature, called 'avertive' (Kuteva 1998;Kuteva et al 2019). It creates a counterfactual meaning by means of a scalar implicature almost past event=not past event and, in contrast to canonical counterfactual structures such as counterfactual moods and modal verbs, does not change its temporal reference over time (la Roi 2022a).…”

Russian čut’: puzzles of grammaticalization

“…Далее, в сочетании с отрицанием реализуется хорошо известное в европейских языках авертивное, в смысле (Kuteva 1998) и (Kuteva et al 2019), значение начавшейся или возникавшей, но не доведенной до конца ситуации: чуть не упал; чуть было 3 не умер. С авертивным значением семантически сближается значение приблизительной номинации, также требующее отрицания и -часто -частицы ли: его чуть ли не консулом назначили ≈ 'назначили консулом или кем-то в этом роде'; чуть (ли) не плачет ≈ 'можно сказать, что плачет'.…”