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Re: hjkei again


My understanding of 'hjkw' (in contrast to 'ercomai') is that it is not a
telic verb at all, but is inherently perfective as a lexical item apart
from its aspect.  I do not recall if either Fanning or Porter address the
question of uhe use of the "imperfective" aspects with verbs the lexical
meaning of which are perfective.  Perhaps 'hjkw' in the present means
something like 'has been coming,' or perhaps in this case the present
really does indicate tense, and nothing more!  However one understands it,
one must not forget that (to use the sort of systemic terminology that
Porter uses) it is not the output of any one system that is realized in a
given stretch of language, but the combination of all of the simultaneous,
overlapping systems whose choices are realized.  The solution to the
puzzle in one system is probably the interaction of that system with
another.  In the case of 'hjkw', the choice of lexical item must certainly
be taken into account when determining what choice in the aspectual system
is realized by the tense of 'hjkw'.  In any given example, there are
probably other systems that need to be taken into account as well to
understand what the particular tense form is realizing.

Philip Graber
Emory University
References: