Completive aspect, emotion, and the dynamic eventive: the case of Korean V-a/e pelita, Japanese V-te shimau, and Spanish se

Abstract

This paper examines the auxiliary verb constructions V-a/e pelita in Korean and V-te shimau in Japanese as markers of both completive aspect and speaker stance. These constructions are, for the most part, grammatically optional in their respective languages. When they occur, they generally mark finality or completion of some event or action in addition to some aspect of the speaker's judgment. The two constructions, while not at all related morphologically or semantically to the reflexive in either language, pattern in a manner strikingly similar to some occurrences of the middle marker se in Spanish. That is, in all three languages, the constructions are generally optional, they tend to cooccur with certain types of verbs, they tend to increase or decrease the sense of volitionality/control expressed by the main verbs with which they cooccur, and they all express aspects of speaker stance such as emphatic perspective, accidentality/uncontrollability, regret, relief, pride, counterexpectations, and strong resolve. In view of these parallels with certain functions of Spanish se, this paper will posit that Korean V-a/e pelita, Japanese V-te shimau, and the energetic middle are instances of the dynamic eventive.