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Article published In:
English World-Wide
Vol. 39:3 (2018) ► pp.309–337

The progressive versus non-progressive alternation

A semantic exploration across World Englishes

 | Michigan State University
 | University of Eastern Finland
This corpus-based study focuses on the alternation between progressive and non-progressive constructions in native and non-native varieties. We adopt a quantitative-qualitative approach starting with a collostructional analysis of the two constructions to assess association strengths between lexical verbs, semantic domains and Aktionsart categories on the one hand, and progressive and non-progressive constructions on the other hand. We then explore the constructions semantically and qualitatively. Overall, associations between the two constructions and Achievements and Accomplishments on the one hand, and semantic domains other than Activity or Existence on the other, do not unanimously influence writers’ constructional choices. Further, there may not be one single core meaning of the progressive, but rather a complex of meanings activated by the use of the progressive construction. Ultimately, we paint a multifaceted picture of the meanings of the progressive and show the benefit of combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to explore constructional semantics across Englishes.
Keywords: progressive versus non-progressive, native English, ESL, EFL, distinctive collexeme analysis, semantic domains
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Taking stock of the meaning of the progressive construction
  • 3.Methodological approaches to (the semantics of) the progressive
  • 4.Data: Annotation and statistical approach
    • 4.1Corpora and data extraction
    • 4.2Factors and semantic annotation
    • 4.3Statistical approach: Distinctive collexeme analysis
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Collexeme analyses
      • 5.1.1Collexeme analysis: Collexemes for lemma per variety
      • 5.1.2Collexeme analysis: Collexemes for semantic domains per variety
      • 5.1.3Collexeme analysis: Collexemes for Aktionsart per variety
      • 5.1.4A qualitative look at the semantics of progressive marking
        • i.Incompleteness
        • ii.Temporariness
        • iii.Prolonged duration
  • 6.Discussion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 2 November 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/eww.00016.des
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