Diachronic and Synchronic Study on Refining Stativity and Semantic Function of the BE+V-ing Construction

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K02813
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: English linguistics
• Research Institution: Kyushu Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Goto Mariko 九州工業大学, 教養教育院, 教授 (20189773)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: Stativity / Progressivity / Be + V-ing Construction / Present Tense / Simple Present / 18th-century Letters / Spoken English

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study has elaborated on conceptual entity called stativity in light of “the internal perspective” that the Be + V-ing construction takes, which effects the conceptualizer being existent in the midst of the participialized situation. At the same time, actual uses and grammatical descriptions on them for the past 300 years have also been explored diachronically as well as synchronically to demonstrate compatibility of stativity with the construction. The characterization also leads to explaining diverse phenomena of the construction more comprehensively than before.

Free Research Field

英語学、認知言語学、歴史言語学、語用論、英語史　規範文法　アスペクト　時制

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

Be + V-ing構文の文法性は、18世紀末以降21世紀初め迄、stative vs. non-stativeを識別する試金石としても言及されてきた。しかし、その関係は循環論的で曖昧だった。同時にBe + V-ing構文は、17世紀来単純形との区別が不明確であった。本研究は、Be + V-ing構文との関係におけるstativityを明確化したことにより、Be + V-ing構文のみならず単純現在形の用法についても教育現場での導入を容易にする原理を見出した。