In Slavic languages, verbal aspect is not marked by paradigmatic forms or periphrastic constructions, but it is presented by lexical verbs that, on the basis of their functioning and meaning, are classified as either perfective or imperfective. To a large extent, perfective and imperfective verbs can be organized into pairs, of which the members only differ in aspect. This entry outlines the two core semantic considerations that have led aspectologists to determine whether particular verbs are members of an aspectual pair, or, in particular, which imperfective verb is a pure aspectual partner to any specific perfective verb, a topic that has been developed mostly by scholars working on Russian from the second half of the 20th century onward. It has, among other things, led to the establishment of terminativity as a core semantic feature of the aspectual opposition. Then, following a note on the morphology relative to terminativity, and so aspect, and a brief evaluation of aspectual pairedness relative to situation type, the entry concludes with a discussion on stretching the confines of the traditional definition of the aspectual pair.
The wider issue of the grammatical category is dealt with in the overview article “Verbal Aspect.”
The terms “telicity” and “terminativity” are used to denote the component of the (lexical) semantic makeup of verbs, verb phrases, sentences, and/or situations relating to their being or not being goal oriented, and so to their (in)completability, their (un)boundedness (Dahl 1981: 83). Although often considered synonymous, the terms have different origins and have been differently defined. The article discusses and compares both terms and briefly presents the debate on their definition and use, especially in the Slavic linguistic context. For Slavic languages, the concept(s) is(are) important especially for the study of verbal aspect, notably aspectual pairs and also Aktionsart. The underlying concept has also been defined as the verbal counterpart of the category of countability in the nominal domain (cf. Mehlig 1996).
The near-equivalent terms “telicity” and “terminativity” are used to denote the component of the semantic makeup of verbs and, in many approaches, verb phrases, predicates, sentences, and situations relating to their goal orientedness and so to their (in)completability, their (un)boundedness (Dahl 1981: 83). Their respective definitions have evolved since their inception, and especially “terminativity” has been extensively discussed in the Slavic context as the (invariant) lexical semantic feature of the partners of so-called aspectual pairs, setting them apart from verbs (verbal meanings) that do not take part in the aspectual opposition. The feature “terminativity” was central in the Saint Petersburg Aspectological School (cf. Gorbova 2014: 89). The use of the term “terminativity” (corresponding to Ru predelʹnostʹ) rather than “telicity” seems most prevalent in studies relating to Slavic languages, whereas “telicity” is used more generally. Perhaps as a consequence of this, as well as of their separate origins, the terms have not been defined in the exact same way. This article chronologically traces the presented definitions in order to give an overview of how the respective terms may be (variously) understood in the literature. This brief account presents only a selection of issues, and is by no means exhaustive. As with many terms, the use by individual authors varies – although this is not always made clear – and the two terms are at times evidently treated as synonyms.
Following the sections on the definition of the terms, there is a brief note on the wider relevance of the concept for the comparison with the nominal domain.
This article explores the use of Glagolitic script in the writing tradition of Medieval Bohemia. The centers of Church Slavic learning did not last very long but left a number of texts that are important sources for data on early West Slavic, especially Old Czech. There have been satellite settlements in southern Poland where the script must have been used as well.
Features and Benefits:
- Contributions from leading scholars of Slavic languages worldwide.
- Up-to-date references on legal and sociolinguistic developments of languages after the fall of multiethnic states.
- Integrated articles on the interactions between linguistics, archaeology, and genetics to illuminate ancient Slavic-speaking communities.
- State-of-the art reports on pertinent issues in Slavic semantics, pragmatics, discourse studies and more.
- Coverage of theoretical approaches that emerged in Slavic linguistics.
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