Aspectual Properties of Deverbal Nouns

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Aspectual Properties of Deverbal Nouns"

Francis Tyler Nash
8 years ago
Views:

1 Aspectual Properties of Deverbal Nouns PAULINE HAAS*, RICHARD HUYGHE** and RAFAEL MARÍN* *Université Lille 3 CNRS UMR 8163 («STL»), **Université Paris 7 1 Introduction Hypothesis: deverbal nouns inherit certain semantic in particular, aspectual properties from the verbs they derive from. Main goal: to find traces of such properties. General question: to what extent nominals convey aspectual properties. Main problem: to find adequate aspectual tests for the nominal domain. Aspectual classes and properties/features for verbs (Vendler-Dowty-Verkuyl): Dynamicity Delimitedness Duration State to fear Process + + to push Accomplishment to write (a book) Achievement + + to explode (a bomb) Nouns derived from: -States: admiration ( admiration ), attraction ( attraction ). -Processes: jardinage ( gardening ), discussion ( discussion ). -Accomplishments: accouchement ( labor ), tournage ( filming ). -Achievements: explosion ( explosion ), découverte ( discovery ). Result nominals are not taken into account (Oswald, 2005): (1) a. La construction de cet immeuble a eté compliquée. The construction of this building has been complex b. Cette construction est très solide. [result] This construction is very solid 1

General question: to what extent nominals convey aspectual properties. Main problem: to find adequate aspectual tests for the nominal domain.

2 2 Verbal and nominal delimitedness 2.1 Events Why are certain nouns able to denote events while others are not? Events are finite entities which can be directly placed in the spatial and/or temporal domain, in virtue of their existential autonomy (Huyghe, 2006). They are, in a way, bounded or delimited. Only events can appear as N in N has taken place in X (a place or a moment) or in The place of N. Nouns derived from both accomplishments and achievements can appear in such a position, i.e., they can denote events: (2) a. Le tournage / l accouchement a eu lieu à Paris / ce matin. The filming / the labor has taken place in Paris / this morning b. Le lieu du tournage / de l accouchement. The place of the filming / of the labor (3) a. L explosion / l atterrissage a eu lieu à Paris / ce matin. The explosion / the landing has taken place in Paris /this morning b. Le lieu de l explosion / de l atterrissage. The place of the explosion / the landing Nouns derived from states are not allowed in these constructions: (4) a. *L admiration / l attraction a eu lieu à Paris / ce matin. The admiration / the attraction has taken place in Paris / this morning b. *Le lieu de l admiration / de l attraction. The place of the admiration / of the attraction In general, nouns derived from processes are also rejected, (5), yet surprisingly this is not the case for all of them, (6): (5) a. *Le jardinage / la natation a eu lieu à Paris / ce matin. The gardening / the swimming has taken place in Paris / this morning b. *Le lieu du jardinage / de la natation. The place of the gardening / of the swimming (6) a. La discussion / la manifestation a eu lieu à Paris / ce matin. The discussion / the demonstration has taken place in Paris / this morning b. Le lieu de la discussion / de la manifestation. The place of the discussion / of the demonstration 2

Only events can appear as N in N has taken place in X (a place or a moment) or in The place of N. Nouns derived from both accomplishments and achievements can appear in such a position, i.e., they can denote events: (2) a.

3 2.2 Two types of processive nouns There are two types of processive nouns: (i) the mass ones (jardinage) and (ii) the count ones (discussion). Tests jardinage-type discussion-type Pluralisation les / des / plusieurs N + Partitive article du N + Quantification beaucoup de N-singular + beaucoup de N-plural + Only count nouns can be pluralised (Heyd & Knittel, 2006): (7) a. *Les jardinages sont bons pour la santé. The gardenings are good for the health b. *Plusieurs jardinages / *trois jardinages / *des jardinages. Several gardenings / three gardenings / gardenings (bare plural) (8) a. Les discussions avec Paul sont toujours intéressantes. The discussions with Paul are always interesting b. Plusieurs discussions / trois discussions / des discussions. Several discussions / three discussions / discussions (bare plural Mass nouns accept partitive article, while count ones do not: (9) Paul fait du jardinage / de la natation. Paul makes of the gardening / of the swimming (10) *Paul fait de la discussion / de la promenade. Paul makes of the discussion / of the walk Only mass nouns, (11), are allowed in the structure beaucoup de N-singular; count nouns, (12), are only acceptable in plural: (11) a. Pierre fait beaucoup de jardinage. Pierre makes a lot of gardening b. *Pierre fait beaucoup de jardinages. Pierre makes a lot of gardenings (12) a. *Pierre fait beaucoup de promenade. Pierre makes a lot of walk b. Pierre fait beaucoup de promenades. Pierre makes a lot of walks 3

(Heyd & Knittel, 2006): (7) a. *Les jardinages sont bons pour la santé. The gardenings are good for the health b. *Plusieurs jardinages / *trois jardinages / *des jardinages.

4 2.3 The discussion class Nominals such as discussion are, in a way, hybrid: they are count nouns, i.e. delimited from a nominal point of view; but they derive from non-delimited verbs. Verbal domain Nominal domain Aspect Delimitedness Examples Examples Delimitedness Aspect acc. & ach. + telic réparer réparation + count event process non-telic jardiner jardinage mass non-event non-telic discuter discussion + count event? A possible explanation: nouns of the discussion-type denote events (cf. (6)), yet homogenous events. It is interesting to apply the imperfective paradox test: (13) a. La discussion a été interrompue au bout d une demie-heure > Ils ont discuté. The discussion has been interrupted after half an hour > They have discussed b. La promenade a été interrompue > Ils se sont promenés. The walk has been interrupted > They have taken a walk Nouns derived from accomplishments show another behavior: (14) a. L accouchement a été interrompu au bout d une heure > Elle n a pas accouchée. The labor has been interrupted after an hour > She has not given birth b. La réparation de l auto a été interrompue > L auto n a pas été réparée. The repair of the car has been interrupted > The car has not been repaired Contrary to accomplishment nouns, (15), discussion-type nominals, (16), could be used in certain contexts as mass nouns (cf. Flaux & Van de Velde, 2000), almost like jardinage-type nominals, (17): (15)??Deux heures d accouchement / de réparation. Two hours of labor / repair (16) Deux heures de discussion / de promenade. Two hours of discussion / of walk (17) Deux heures de jardinage / de natation. Two hours of gardening / swimming Nouns of the discussion-type denote entities that, as a whole (from a perfective point of view) seem events, even if their internal structure does not include a culminant point. 4

+ telic réparer réparation + count event process non-telic jardiner jardinage mass non-event non-telic discuter discussion + count event?

5 3 Remaining questions To what extent discussion-type nouns denote events? To what extent discussion-type nouns preserve the undelimitedness of the verbs they derive from? Are verbs related to discussion-type nouns already different from verbs related to jardinage-type nouns? Certain nouns denoting events are not related to any verb: crime, accident. 4 Concluding remarks Nouns derived from both accomplishments and achievements denote events, while nouns derived from states do not. There are two types of nouns derived from processes: mass nouns (jardinage) and count nouns (discussion). Contrary to jardinage-type nouns, discussion-type nouns seem to denote events, yet homogenous events. References DOWTY D., 1979, Word Meaning and Montague Grammar, Dordrecht, D. Reidel Publishing Company. FLAUX N. & VAN DE VELDE D., 2000, Les noms en français : esquisse de classement, Paris, Ophrys. GRIMSHAW J., 1990, Argument Structure, Cambridge, MA, The MIT Press. GROSS G., 1996, «Prédicats nominaux et compatibilité aspectuelle», Langages 121, HAAS P. & HUYGHE R., 2007, «Les propriétés aspectuelles des noms correspondant aux verbes d activité», Symposium AFLS de Boulogne-sur-Mer : «Le français sous tous ses aspects», 3-5 septembre HEYD S. & KNITTEL M.L., 2006, «Quelques remarques à propos des noms d activités», Rencontres linguistiques du Grand Est, juin HUYGHE, R Les noms génériques d espace en français. Thèse de doctorat. Université de Lille 3. HUYGHE R. & MARIN R., (soumis pour publication), «L héritage aspectuel des noms déverbaux en français et en espagnol». MARIN R., 2000, El componente aspectual de la predicación, PhD, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. NICOLAS D., 2002, La distinction entre noms massifs et noms comptables, Louvain / Paris, Editions Peeters. OSSWALD R., 2005, «On Result Nominalization in German», Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung 9, VAN DE VELDE D., 2006, Grammaire des événements, Villeneuve d Ascq, Presses Universitaires du Septentrion. VENDLER Z., 1967, Linguistics in Philosophy, Ithaca N.Y., Cornell University Press. VERKUYL H., 1989, «Aspectual classes and aspectual composition», Linguistics and Philosophy 12,

4 Concluding remarks Nouns derived from both accomplishments and achievements denote events, while nouns derived from states do not.

NOUNS. SINGULAR NOUNS The Definite Article = the

NOUNS. SINGULAR NOUNS The Definite Article = the NOUNS A noun is a word which refers to a living creature, a thing, a place, a feeling or an idea. When you look up a noun in your Chambers Harrap s French School Dictionary, you will see noun in blue next