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Plurality and Quantification pp 55–111Cite as

The Influence of Plural NPs on Aktionsart in DRT

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Part of the book series: Studies in Linguistics and Philosophy ((SLAP,volume 69))

Abstract

Since Vendler’s analysis in (Vendler 1967) it is common to distinguish four classes of natural language event descriptions, states, activities, accomplishments and achievements. In terms of interval semantics these classes are normally characterized as follows:

  • States are temporally extended and homogeneous. If a state holds at an interval t, it also holds at all subintervals t’of t (even at the time points of t, if the logic considered uses time points). This means that states have the subinterval property (cf. (Bennett and Partee 1972)).

    Examples are Paul speaks French or Paul is eating an apple.

  • Activities are temporally extended and relatively homogeneous. The subinterval property seems to be restricted to subintervals that pass a certain limit in size (cf. (Dowty 1986)).

    An example is Paul worked in the garden.

  • Accomplishments are temporally extended and heterogeneous, i.e. if an accomplishment holds at an interval t, it does not hold at the subintervals of t.

    This is true of Paul wrote a letter, for example.

  • Achievements are punctual: Paul reached the top.

Following a linguistic tradition referred to in (Steinitz 1981), we call this classification a classification of the Aktionsart of events or event descriptions.1

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Authors
  1. Kurt Eberle
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Tübingen, Germany

    Fritz Hamm  & Erhard Hinrichs  & 

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Eberle, K. (1998). The Influence of Plural NPs on Aktionsart in DRT. In: Hamm, F., Hinrichs, E. (eds) Plurality and Quantification. Studies in Linguistics and Philosophy, vol 69. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2706-8_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2706-8_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-4943-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-2706-8

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