What is perfective aspect?

Definition
	Perfective aspect is an aspect that expresses a temporal view of an event or state as a simple whole, apart from the consideration of the internal structure of the time in which it occurs.

Examples (English)
	He walked there.
	This type of construction expresses a temporal view of walk distinct from those expressed in the following constructions:
	He was walking there. He used to walk there.

Generic
	Perfective aspect is a kind of
	What is aspect?

Sources
	Comrie 1976a 12, 18–19
	Ducrot and Todorov 1979 307
	Pei and Gaynor 1954 164
	Hartmann and Stork 1972 20
	Bybee 1985 142
	Elson and Pickett 1988 28
	Crystal 1985 224
	Mish 1991 872

Context for this page:

Concept module: perfective aspect
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): P
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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