A pragmatic view of the Japanese complex forms : V-teiru and V-tearu

Abstract

In this paper, the complex forms of V-teiru and V-tearu are morphologically analized as V-te i-ru and V-te ar-u. These compound predicates consist of the te form (V-te) and the existential verbs i-ru and ar-u. The paper further classifies all Japanese verbs into punctual and durative verbs, depending on their occurrence in the continuous form of V-teiru. On the basis of this classification, it is hypothesized that V-te i-ru and V-te ar-u are composed of two different types of verbs; punctual verbs in the V-te and durative verbs i-ru and ar-u. When functioning as main verbs, --- i-ru and ar-u focus on the existence of the subject entities. The use of i-ru or ar-u is primarily dependent on a dynamic/static view of the subject entity, That is to say, if the subject is seen from the dynamic point of view, i-ru is used, while if it is seen from the static point of v 1 ew, ar-u 1 s used. When functioning somewhat like auxiliary verbs, i-ru and ar-u focus on the duration of the situations identified by punctual verbs. The choice of V-te i-ru or V-te ar-u depends on how the speaker views the subject entity within these situations. When the subject entity is viewed as dynamic, that is when the subject entity initiates the situation, V-te i-ru is used. When the subject entity is viewed as static, that is when the subject entity is affected by the situation, V-te ar-u is used. The paper discusses the under1ying nature of these forms, by exam1n1ng their full semantic range and the syntactic implication.