Top-Down Versus Bottom-Up Approaches to Aspect

The Case of the Dutch Prepositional Progressive

Bibliographic Data

ID21722844
AuthorsMaarten Bogaards (0000-0003-0931-2812, Leiden University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume35
Issue4
Pages311-338
Publication date2023-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Germanic Linguistics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1470-5427 • E-ISSN: 1475-3014
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1470542722000174
OpenAlexW4389137750
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited10

Progressive constructions in Germanic are usually studied as progressive constructions—that is, exclusively so. I characterize this as a top-down approach to aspect, which, I argue, harbors the risk of overlooking relevant language-specific structures that are similar in form and meaning. This paper, therefore, advocates taking a bottom-up approach. Based on a case study of the prepositional progressive in Dutch ( aan het -progressive), I claim that this approach is of added empirical and theoretical value. Drawing on construction-based theories, the relevant patterns—dubbed situational constructions —are analyzed in terms of horizontal constructional links

Epistemology · Germanic languages · Linguistics · Top-down and bottom-up design · Computer Science · Gender Studies in Language · History · Linguistic research and analysis · Philosophy · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

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