Decomposing the progressive
In this paper we offer a new analysis of the 'imperfective paradox' (Dowty 1979) in connection
with the progressive aspect. The leading idea is to decompose the progressive into four independently
needed notions: realization, belief, ability, and intention. Realization requires
that if an event e of type P is in progress, then it is possible for e to be part of an evvent e' of type
P. A presupposition of the progressive is that if e is a partial realization of event type P, then
the speaker at the speech time believes that any other type P' that e is a partial relation of is
compatible with P. If e is a partial realization of event type P and has an agent x, then the
speaker at the speech time believes that x is able to carry out an event of type P and the speaker
does not believe that x does not intend to carry out an event of type P. This analysis of
the progressive not only makes the roles of belief, ability, and intention explicit, but it also treats the
imperfective paradox without the appeal to otherwise unnecessary notions such 'inertia worlds' (Dowty 1979) or
'continuation branches' (Landman 1992).
Ralf Naumann and Chris Piñón