Two Paradoxes in the Interpretation of Imperfective Aspect and the Progressive

Abstract

In my article I address an outstanding issue concerning the interpretation of imperfective aspect and the progressive that would seem to make Basque earn its label as a true language isolate. If we look at its Indo-European neighbors, imperfective and progressive forms coexist with overlapping interpretations (Comrie, 1976; Giorgi and Pianesi, 1997). By way of example, in French and Peninsular Spanish both forms unequivocally express the progressive. In contrast, when the equivalent forms coexist in Basque (they do so in a limited number), they compete for interpretation and only one of them is allowed to express the progressive. If available, simple forms block the progressive interpretation of compound imperfective forms, which then unambiguously express the habitual reading (this distribution supports habitual as an independent feature: Chierchia, 1995; Cinque, 1999). In addition, simple forms replace the progressive form. The two losing forms contain the participial ending t(z)en, which is considered an imperfective aspect marker by many (Ortiz de Urbina, 1989; Laka, 1990). I propose that -t(z)en is a default whose interpretation is contingent upon the morphemes available for insertion. The verb class with simple forms has a morpheme to express the progressive, thus the blocking effect. My proposal accounts for the semantic and morphosyntactic idiosyncrasies of the data set, which had not received a principled explanation to date.