Chapter 6
From nouns to verbs
Analogy across parts of speech
A conceptual metaphor motivates an analogy between nouns and verbs, here termed the Noun → Verb Analogy.
The metaphor maps properties from the source domain of space for nouns to the target domain of time for verbs. Three
case studies present evidence for this metaphorical analogy using data from Russian. The first study examines the
metaphor that underlies the Russian system of verbal aspect. The second study catalogs parallels between numeral
classifiers and aspectual markers in Russian. The third study, of the distribution of grammatical forms, shows that
aspect in verbs behaves much like number in nouns. Recognition of the Noun → Verb Analogy facilitates a more orderly
and straightforward understanding of Russian verbs.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 1.1Native speakers always know which aspect to use, and, in fact, even children never make errors in the use of
aspect
- 1.2Perfective vs. Imperfective is a simple binary distinction
- 1.3Aspectual markers are semantically empty
- 2.The properties of spatial and temporal objects
- 3.Classifiers for spatial and temporal objects
- 4.Number and aspect as the identifying features of spatial and temporal objects
- 5.Conclusion
-
Notes
-
References