Imperfective Aspect Research Articles

Verb Form and Tense in Arabic

This paper discusses tense in Arabic based on three varieties of the language: Classical Arabic (CA), Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), and the Taif dialect (TD). We argue against previous analyses that suggest that Arabic is a tenseless language, which assume that tense information is derived from the context. We also argue against the suggestion that Arabic is tensed, but that its tense is relative, rather than absolute. We propose here that CA, MSA, and TD have closely related verb forms, and that these are tensed verbs. Tense in Arabic is absolute in a neutral context and verb forms take the perfective and imperfective aspect. Similar to other languages including English, verb forms in Arabic may take reference from the context instead of the present moment. In this case, we argue that this does not mean that tense in Arabic is relative, because this would also imply that tense in many languages, including English, is relative. Further, we argue that the perfective form indicates only the past tense and the imperfective form, only the present; all other interpretations are derived by implicature.

Presenting the past in Middle Indic

Abstract Up to three verbal categories are available for encoding past tense in Middle Indic: inherited finite pasts (lost in younger languages), old past passive participles, and morphological presents. I explore aspectual factors governing the choice of one verb form in preference to another in four texts in Pāli and Jaina-Māhārāṣṭrī, showing that finite pasts (where present) are compatible with multiple aspectual readings, participles almost always have perfective or anterior aspect, and presents have an association with imperfective aspect (exceptionless in Pāli but not in Jaina-Māhārāṣṭrī).

The use of eye-tracking in experimental approaches in second language acquisition research: the primary effects of Processing Instruction in the acquisition of the French imperfect

ABSTRACTDespite the ample database of research findings on the benefits of Processing Instruction (PI), research thus has primarily made use of offline measures to establish how L2 learners comprehend and process sentences. Using online methodology, such as eye-tracking, allows research to more directly measure implicit knowledge. The sensitivity of these measures requires meticulous design choices to ensure validity and replicability. This study provides an overview of the linguistic and physical design considerations necessary for creating eye-tracking materials in SLA research. The present study demonstrates the application of these design considerations in an eye-tracking study, comparing the changes in processing patterns between two types of instruction: PI and Traditional Instruction (TI) on low intermediate L2 adult learners’ acquisition of the French imperfect aspect. The results of the experimental study show beneficial gains made by L2 learners who received PI on the French imperfect tense, this was seen in both a significant increase in accuracy scores from pre-test to post-test and change in their cognitive processing as shown by eye-movement data. The present study emphasizes the need for future studies to consider methodological reflections and key design principles in eye-tracking research.

Cautious about Conatives

Abstract It has long been recognized that the imperfect and present tenses can communicate a conative sense. The category is sufficiently established that New Testament commentaries can brusquely identify “a conative imperfect” or “imperfectum de conatu” as if (1) the terminology conveys a uniform meaning and (2) such meaning is established by the verb’s tense. A fresh inspection of the phenomenon suggests neither assumption is accurate. With worked examples we can observe that at least two competing nuances are understood by the label “conative” and that the verb’s tense is far from the determinative factor. Whether in generating claims about the conative sense or in digesting others’ analyses, interpreters need to be alert to the pitfalls associated with this category.

Time out of tense: Russian aspect in the imperative

This article analyzes Russian aspectual usage in the imperative by combining Šatunovskij’s (2009) approach with Dickey’s (2018) cognitive linguistic theory of Russian aspect. It argues that the contrasting use of perfective and imperfective imperatives in mands for the completion of a single action can be explained in terms of the pragmatic mechanisms proposed by Šatunovskij (2009): perfective imperatives signal a request on the part of the speaker for the listener to make the decision to carry out the action, whereas imperfective imperatives make no such signal, because the decision has already been made. The latter occurs when the speaker knows or infers that the listener has already made the decision (or will do so if given the chance), or when the speaker has suspended the listener’s decision-making role and has gone ahead and made the decision. Various contextual uses of affirmative and negated imperatives and analyzes them in terms of the request or lack thereof for the listener to make the decision to carry out the action. The functions of the perfective and imperfective aspects in imperatives are argued to be instantiations of temporal definiteness and temporal indefiniteness (respectively). Inasmuch as this is true, Russian aspect codes alternative construals of time in non-finite usage as well as finite usage.

ASPEK PERFEKTIF DALAM AL-QUR’AN

The perfective in Arabic is indicated by a form of māḍi verb used to indicate the past time. In the Qur'an there are often verses that describe the future (imperfective) but are contained in the māḍi verb. The research using this qualitative descriptive approach aims to know the meaning contained in the verses contained in the form of the māḍi verb but in the future context. The sample of this study using purposive sampling in the form of verses that contain māḍi verb in it that perpektive and imperfective aspect. The perfective aspect of the verses is inseparable from the influence of the letters that associated with the māḍi verbs and also has implications for meaning and time.

ARABIC NARRATION BY JAPANESE-SPEAKING LEARNERS

There is an unmistakable upward trend in the population of Japanese-speaking learners of Arabic, reflecting the population growth of native Arabic speakers and recognition of the importance of Arabic languages and cultures as a field of study. The eagerness of Arab corporations to engage in business with Japanese organizations also continues to expose an increasing number of Japanese speakers to nations and cultures of the Arab world. Other reasons include growing attention on the Arab world’s important role in international society. All of these factors have contributed to a heightening of interest in Arabic language learning among Japanese speakers. The aim of this study is to investigate Arabic narration by native speakers of Japanese, primarily focusing on adverbial expressions that were used by Japanese-speaking learners when they were asked to narrate events depicted in the picture book, ‘The Frog Story’. This paper first identifies three Arabic adverbial clause types, classified based on morphosyntactic and functional differences. This is followed by an examination of the different ways in which the learners’ narrations of the events were coded via adverbial expressions and verbs. The first type of adverbial expression is what in Arabic is known as alħa:l^l-mufrad or the ‘accusative adverb’, which for the purpose of this paper is referred to as the ‘noun/participle adverb’. This phrase type comprises a verb participle combined with an accusative case and containing no tense information. An exciting conclusion of this study is that Japanese learners of Arabic tend to utilize this adverb type more frequently than native Arabic speakers do. The second type of adverbial expression, known in Arabic as jumlatu^l-ħa:l or the ‘adverbial sentence’, is referred to as the ‘explicit subject adverbial clause’ in this paper. This clause type comprises a conjunctive particle, a subject pronoun, and a verb. The verb is always imperfect, and the subject need not be coreferential with the main clause subject. Results of this study indicate that Japanese learners of Arabic tend to use this adverbial clause type less frequently compared to native Arabic speakers. This may be due to learners not being aware that the subject of the adverbial clause need not be coreferential with the main clause subject. The third type, also known as the ‘adverbial sentence’, is referred to as the ‘non-explicit subject adverbial clause’ in this paper. This clause type consists of only a verb in the imperfect tense, and has neither a conjunctive particle nor a pronominal subject. This clause type was not found in the learners’ narrations, suggesting that the learners are not familiar with the fact that this kind of clause even exists in Arabic.

The Perfect Tense-Form in Application: 1 Corinthians 7:14 as a Test-Case in Light of Verbal Aspect

Paul’s advice regarding marriage in his first letter to the Corinthians has been well discussed, but his statements are not without interpretive difficulties. One of these difficulties is his advice for a married believing spouse to remain with an unbelieving spouse, giving the reason that “the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife” (NIV 2011) and the wife through the husband. Some interpreters take this to refer to the continued influence of the believing spouse upon the unbelieving spouse. Others take this to refer to a future hope of the unbelieving spouse to convert through the influence of the believing spouse. However there should be greater focus on the discussion about the impact of the meaning of the perfect tense-form (ἡγίασται). The verbal aspect framework is crucial for interpreting this statement; in particular, how one views the semantics of the perfect tense-form. This essay begins with a brief survey of the three major views on the perfect (Porter, Fanning, and Campbell), with brief, critical evaluations. Porter represents the stative aspect view, that the perfect tense-form grammaticalizes a (complex) state of affairs, without regard to tense or kind of action. Fanning represents the perfective aspect view, that the perfect tense-form grammaticalizes the perfective aspect (external viewpoint) but also encodes Aktionsart and tense. Campbell represents the imperfective aspect view that the perfect tense-form grammaticalizes ongoing action with heightened proximity in relation to the present tense-form. In the final section of this essay, I apply the reading of ἡγίασται according to each viewpoint to see which view best explains the meaning of ἡγίασται in this verse. I conclude that the stative aspect reading makes the best sense of this verse, where Paul instructs believing spouses to remain with their unbelieving spouses since they are in a (complex) state of sanctification by being with their spouse. This interpretation is preferable to the other two; the perfective aspect reading would mean that the sanctification process of the unbelieving spouse is depicted as complete by Paul, which raises many more questions than what it answers, and the imperfective reading would mean that the sanctification process of the unbelieving spouse is depicted as ongoing by Paul, which seems to contradict the experiences of many individuals in this situation. Thus, the semantics of the stative aspect view makes the best sense in this passage.

From a simple to a complex aspectual system: Feature reassembly in L2 acquisition of Chinese imperfective markers by English speakers

This article reports on an empirical study on the acquisition of Chinese imperfective markers ( zai, - zheP and - zheR) by English-speaking learners at three proficiency levels. Compared to English, Chinese has a richer imperfective aspect in terms of markers (forms) and features (meanings). Results are presented from a grammaticality judgment task, a sentence–picture matching task and a sentence completeness judgment task. We find that advanced learners are successful in reassembling additional semantic features (e.g. the [+durative] feature of zai and the [+atelic] feature of -zheP) when the first language (L1) and second language (L2) functional categories to which the to-be-added features belong are the same. However, advanced learners have problems in differentiating between the interpretations of the progressive zai and the resultant-stative - zheR, and are not sensitive to the incompleteness effect of - zheP, which indicates that discarding L1-transferred features is arduous for learners. Our findings, in general, support the predictions of the Feature Reassembly Hypothesis (Lardiere, 2009). In addition, there is some evidence obtained for L1 influence, which persists at an advanced stage.

Humor creation and the ambiguity of morpho-syntactic phenomena

Ambiguity of different types contributes significantly to humor creation, as predicted by incongruity theory This holds for homonymy, polysemy, structural and scope ambiguity, as well as any multiplicity of meanings that arises due to pragmatic factors. A consideration of languages with rich inflectional morphology, such as Russian, further reveals that linguistic humor may be based on the semantic indeterminacy of certain grammatical phenomena. The present paper provides evidence in favor of this claim by taking the imperfective aspect, genitive case-assignment and instrumental case-assignment into account. It is demonstrated that the ambiguity / indeterminacy associated with these phenomena gives rise to the creation of humorous effects. We further generalize that the core functions of case and aspect correlate with the less salient readings of ambiguous sentences (often the absurd, non-bona-fide ones). In contrast, the more peripheral and even idiomatic functions give rise to the salient, bona-fide readings. A functional explanation is put forward for this apparent discrepancy: the prototypical, easily accessible functions of case and aspect make it easier for the hearer to process a sentence in its non-salient interpretation.

A distinct aspectual analysis of predicative possession in Brazilian Portuguese

We provide an aspectual analysis of Brazilian Portuguese predicative possessives, ter ('have') NP vs. estar com ('to be with') NP, which have been analyzed as denoting permanent versus temporary possession, respectively. Data include 20th century tokens of estar com NP (n=553) and ter NP (n=2976) from Davies' Corpus do Português. These data show that both possessive constructions can occur with the same temporal/aspectual reference and possessum, but that ter NP has a 0.55 type-token ratio while estar com NP shows significantly lower (p<0.01) productivity (0.41). An online experimental survey in which we manipulated the possessum and the duration of the possession was designed and responded to by over 200 native Brazilian participants. Results show that while both forms are possible in all contexts they are nevertheless sensitive to the duration of the possession, thus suggesting that the association with permanent versus temporary possession is pragmatic in nature. We propose that estar com NP’s possessive interval is co-extensive with the reference interval supplied by context, while ter NP’s possessive interval is a superinterval of the reference interval, like progressive and imperfective aspects, respectively (Deo 2009).

The effect of using videos in teaching and learning English present progressive tense

PurposeUsing videos in language learning has been investigated in the literature to enhance second language learning. The previous studies have explored the effect of videos on learning a foreign language, especially vocabulary learning. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of videos on learning present progressive tense in the perspective of semiotics.Design/methodology/approachA total of 30 Arab English foreign language (EFL) learners participated in the study and were assigned into two groups. The first group was taught present progressive tense with the help of videos (the semiotics group). The second group was taught the same content using a traditional way, i.e. without videos.FindingsResults of the post-test indicated that participants in the semiotics group outscored the participants who did not learn through videos to learn present progressive tense. The study concluded that using videos is a useful tool to enhance learning present progressive tense.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, no study has been conducted to examine the effect of semiotics on learning L2 grammar, especially the present progressive tense. Therefore, this study explores the impact of using videos, as a form of semiotics, to help EFL learners learn present progressive tense.

Infrared Image Complexity Metric for Automatic Target Recognition Based on Neural Network and Traditional Approach Fusion

Infrared image complexity metric plays an important role in automatic target recognition (ATR) performance evaluation. In particular, with the development of the infrared imaging technology, there are many excellent infrared image complexity metrics for ATR. However, in the related works, there are two aspects of imperfections: (1) only the influence of individual feature is considered, ignoring the interaction among characteristics; and (2) these metrics all do not take the degradation of thermal imaging process into account. To overcome the imperfections, a novel criterion of evaluating infrared image complexity which considers the interaction among characteristics and the degradation influence is proposed. Firstly, to achieve complementary advantages among characteristics, the feature space is introduced to establish three image complexity indicators, respectively, namely feature space degradation complexity (FSDC), feature space similarity degree of global background and feature space occultation degree of local background. Each indicator is integrated by feature space to obtain complementary advantages. Secondly, to take the degradation of thermal imaging process into account, the neural network is trained to obtain the FSDC. In addition, the feature spaces are perfected by Pearson’s correlation analysis and relevant features were removed so that each indicator is more reasonable. Finally, we connect the three image complexity indicators by using an improved analytic hierarchy process. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is more consistent with the actual situation than traditional statistical variance and signal-to-noise ratio.

Critical Discourse Analysis of the Image of China in the Russian Version of the Report on the Work of the Government with a Case of Russian Verb Aspects

Aspect is an obligatory grammatical category of Russian verbs that consists of both perfective aspect and imperfective aspect as a pair. Based on both self-compiled Chinese-Russian parallel corpora of the Report on the Work of the Government (China) (2008-2017) and comparable corpora of the Report on the Work of the Government (Russia) (2008-2017), this paper presents the intra-lingual, inter-lingual and prosodic analyses of the image of China reflected in the Russian version of the Report on the Work of the Government (China): 1) image of China is created by comparing the verb frequency of two aspects in translational corpora and comparable corpora and analyzing the modal meaning and interpersonal function of Russian verbs; 2) ideology in the Russian version is discussed by comparing “V+了1” structures in source texts with its counterparts (long passive participles or imperfective aspect) in target texts; 3) main concerns of Chinese government in the past decade are illustrated by focusing on semantic prosodies of collocates (its types and distributions) with high-frequency imperfective verbs in target texts. It concludes that the image of China in translational texts is populist, flexible, responsible and concerned over its national welfare and people’s livelihood.

Travailler l'oral avec la radio par Delphine Barreau, Marine Bechtel et Déborah Gros

Reviewed by: Travailler l'oral avec la radio par Delphine Barreau, Marine Bechtel et Déborah Gros Jessica L. Sturm and Michael Foster Barreau, Delphine, Marine Bechtel, et Déborah Gros. Travailler l'oral avec la radio. PU de Grenoble, 2019. ISBN 978-2-7061-4258-1. Pp. 173. These 19 different lessons centered around authentic RFI radio broadcasts recorded in 2018 are meant to help learners of French practice and develop their oral expression skills. The broadcasts are included on an accompanying audio CD and are appropriate for the intermediate level (i.e., level B1 on the CEFR scale) learner who is looking for examples of naturalistic spoken French. The lessons focus on a variety of contemporary topics such as education, sports, science, art, and the environment. Each lesson, divided into five main parts, is appropriately sequenced from pre-listening activities up through activities encouraging personalized language production at the end. The pre-listening section helps students recall what they already know about the topic before listening to the broadcast. The listening section focuses on two different aspects: a more generalized understanding with the first listen, and then a second, more focused listen for a deeper understanding. Each lesson has a variety of comprehension activities like "true and false" or selecting the word one hears after the first listen and fill in the blank or short answer following the second listen. The section focusing on relevant linguistic structures in the broadcast helps learners understand what is being communicated, such as how the imperfect tense is used to describe the past, in the broadcast focusing on childhood memories. In the final section, learners are encouraged to use the language in a personalized way, such as formulating their opinion of a dish they tried, in the lesson on gastronomy. Additionally, the lessons are sprinkled with helpful resources for cultural explanations specifics on the radio broadcast's structure, and extension questions to help encourage further thinking on the lesson's topic. For instructors who are looking to integrate this book into their existing course curriculum as an additional resource, the table of contents at the end provides quick references to each lesson's content, the linguistic structures covered in each lesson, the type of personalized output that learners will produce in each lesson, and the broadcast date of each radio broadcast. The book also contains an answer key for all activities so that learners can check their work at the end of each lesson. The audio CD has all tracks as sequential listening activities that correspond to track numbers listed throughout each lesson in the book making it easier for learners to follow along. Transcripts of all radio broadcasts are also included so that learners can follow along while listening and then clearly see the relevant linguistic structures presented in a contextualized manner as they focus on language use. Furthermore, a companion website provides supplementary pedagogical resources for teachers to help them adapt the lessons to their specific needs. [End Page 287] Michael Foster Eastern Michigan University Copyright © 2020 American Association of Teachers of French

Magnetopolaron-state lifetime and qubit decoherence in donor-center quantum dots with the electromagnetic field

Recently, the measurement scheme of quantum dot qubit decocoherence quantized by the longitudinal optical (LO) phonon spontaneous emission rate has attracted the attention and discussion of many researchers. However, it is not difficult to see that the above-mentioned measurement scheme still has some insufficient and imperfect aspects that are to be studied urgently. Considering from the physical mechanism, the essence of the above scheme is to quantify the decoherence time of qubit by using the excited state decay time or excited state lifetime of the polaron. However, so far, there is little research on how the ground state decay time and ground state lifetime of two-state polaron affect the coherence of qubit. There is no doubt that this is an equally important research topic. This is because, firstly, for the coherence of the quantum state of polaron, both the decay of the excited state and the decay of the ground state will destroy or attenuate the qubit coherence, secondly, the transition rate of the two-state polaron from the ground state to the excited state after absorbing an LO phonon is also a function quantifying the qubit decoherence time of two-state system of which the inverse is called the ground state decay time or the ground state lifetime. It may be called a measure of qubit decoherence time quantized by the ground state decay time or ground state lifetime of polaron. In this article, the ground-state and excited-state energy and wave function of the magnetopolaron in a donor-center quantum dot with asymmetric Gaussian potential are derived by Lee-Low-Pines transformation and Pekar-type variational methodd, and then the two-level structure for a qubit is constructed. The measure of qubit decoherence time of quantum dots quantified by ground state decay time of two-state polaron is established, which is compared with the well-known measure of qubit decoherence time of quantum dots quantified by polaron excited state decay time, and their physical mechanisms are revealed. By studying the influence of dielectric constant ratio, electro-phonons coupling constant, temperature and electromagnetic field on the ground state lifetime of magnetopolaron in the donor-center quantum dots with asymmetric Gaussian potential, the influences of material properties, temperature, electromagnetic field and other environmental factors on qubit decoherence of quantum dots are revealed, thereby revealing the mechanism of qubit decoherence caused by LO phonon effect.

How Incremental is the Processing of Perfective and Imperfective Aspect in Polish? An Exploratory Event-Related Potential Study

How Incremental is the Processing of Perfective and Imperfective Aspect in Polish? An Exploratory Event-Related Potential Study

Modern Methods for Assessing the Technical Condition of Building Engineering Systems

On the basis of the results of many years work in the inspection of engineering systems of buildings and structures, the presented work reflects aspects of obsolescence or imperfection of the regulatory document of the Russian Federation GOST 31937–2011 «Buildings and structures. Rules for inspection and monitoring of technical condition» in part of section 5.4. The types of work that are not taken into account in the GOST, but are necessary when inspecting for an objective assessment of the technical condition of engineering systems and the possibility of further trouble-free operation are considered. The authors propose modern inspection methods that make it possible, due to the instrumental tools used, to more accurately determine the operational capabilities of systems, identify hidden shortcomings and further develop optimal measures with the maximum improvement of indicators for financial expenses for major repairs of systems as a whole or individual elements.

“Corporality is the horizon of expectations…”: Arkadii Dragomoshchenko as a Reader of Maurice Merleau-Ponty

This paper considers the influence of the French school of phenomenology represented by Maurice Merleau-Ponty on Akradii Dragomoshchenko’s poetics. Dragomoshchenko (1946—2012) was a St Petersburg writer, an important figure of the Russian literature of the last quarter of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Dragomoshchenko’s interest in the latest European and American thought played an important role in his creative activity both as a source of quotations and allusions in his prose and poetic works written between the 1980s and 2000s and an impulse for a structural transformation of his own creative manner. Phenomenology of Perception by Maurice Merleau-Ponty was a philosophical text which played an important precedent role in the process. Its translation into English became available to the poet starting with the 1980s. A specific variant of the phenomenology of the body worked out by the French philosopher forms a conceptual apparatus in the 1990s, using which Dragomoshchenko reflects his own creative method with the help of fiction. Most comprehensively, the process is represented in Dragomoshchenko’s last major work, Chinese Sun (1997), a novel which can be considered a vivid example of interference of philosophical and poetic language. The understanding of sensory perception and its role in human subjectivity substantiated by Merleau-Ponty in Phenomenology of Perception is used to analyse how visual and kinesthetic experience influences the writer. The novel employs different stylistic means which make it possible to emphasise the phenomenological nature of the author’s approach. Also, the writer uses numerous lyrical insertions, retardations and retrospections, functionally marked use of certain grammatical forms (primarily, verbs of imperfective aspect and present tense), etc. The author of the article analyses such means to demonstrate the role played by the phenomenological perspective in Dragomoshchenko’s creative work and the evolution of his poetics between the 1980s and 2000s.

Transfer in L3 acquisition

AbstractThe present study examines the influence of L2 English on the acquisition of perfective and imperfective aspect in L3 Spanish among German-speaking learners. We will argue that English will be activated as the default transfer source due to principles of acquisition, which are similar for both the L2 and the L3, and because of structural similarities between both languages. The analysis is based on data from 36 German-speaking learners with varying levels of knowledge of aspect in English, their L2, and learning Spanish. For data elicitation, two semantic interpretation tasks were used. The findings show that aspectual knowledge in L2 English affects the acquisition of L3 Spanish past tenses. However, the positive effect is not comprehensive, but rather, restricted to certain semantic contexts (e.g., past/perfective contexts). The discussion points to the possible effects of oversimplified one-to-one-mappings of form and meaning between L2 English and L3 Spanish.