A Detailed Characterization of Aspectualizers — III: Stop, Quit, and Cease Compared

Abstract

In the preceding two chapters, we have dealt with aspectualizers which refer to the initiation, continuation, or repetition of the events named in their complements. In this and the next chapter we will instead consider aspectualizers which refer to the interruption, cessation, or completion of the events so named. As will be seen below, stop, quit, and cease all refer to a temporal segment or interval characteristic of the nucleus of an event. Furthermore, they will be shown to refer to some type of cessation of an ongoing event. What distinguishes one from the other is the nature of this cessation — whether or not the cessation is intentional and whether it is definitive as opposed to being merely an interruption of the event. Stop, quit, and cease are in some contexts thought to be synonyms. As above, the verbs will be compared for their syntactic and semantic similarities and differences; and as above, their semantic differences will be used to explain their occurrence in different syntactic contexts.