In the discussion of the relationship between aspect and Aktionsart, it is generally agreed that aspect is a feature of the tense-form and Aktionsart depends on tense-form together with other clausal and contextual features such as lexical meaning and adjuncts used with the verb. Recent works have tried to find predictable patterns of meaning that emerge when a certain set of clausal factors and lexical features combine with one of the aspects. Most of these works are theoretical in nature and heavily rely on Zeno Vendler's quadripartition of lexical classes as part of their theory. These works are confined to the Greek of the New Testament, and often produce different and even incompatible results. This study presents an empirical approach to verify these results. Following previous works on corpus linguistics to analyze Hellenistic Greek, this study attempts to look for empirical evidence regarding what role lexical semantics and other contextual factors contribute to the choice of aspect. Using a body of text that forms a representative sample of Hellenistic text, the goal is to investigate distribution of tense-forms and lexis in the literature. Lexis are tested in groups according to Vendler's classes and also individually, and other contextual factors will also be considered. To narrow down this study to a manageable scope, the semantic feature of telicity is chosen for examination. This feature is foundational in the formulation of Vendler's taxonomy and is often mentioned with or even conflated with the perfective aspect. It has not been adequately demonstrated whether or not aspectual choices in Koine Greek are dependent on Vendler's telicity distinction. It is argued that, based on empirical evidence, telicity and perfectivity are not related in a systematic manner in Koine Greek. As a corollary, Atkionsart should be considered as an interpretive category, meaning that the value cannot be systematized in a linguistic analysis but can only be determined in the process of interpretation. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/23964 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Pang, Francis |
| Contributors | Porter, Stanley, Westfall, Cynthia, Christian Theology |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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