Momentary-Durative

[Patrick C. Ryan]

Dear Peter, Vidhyanath, and IEists:

 ----- Original Message -----
From: petegray <petegray at btinternet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 1999 2:21 PM

> Vidhyanath's two postings on aspect show clearly what the issue of aspect in
> PIE may be - we simply don't have a clear definition of what we are talking
> about.

> Greek usage does not agree with Vedic, and where traces of aorists exist in
> other languages (e.g. Armenian, OCS, Albanian, Latin, Baltic), we cannot
> convincingly recover an original aspectual meaning.

> The formations are clearly PIE, but I believe I can continue to claim that
> the distinctions between them, if recoverable, are certainly not those we
> find in Greek.   The Armenian-Greek- I-I sprachbund has certain known
> innovations, such as vocabulary and the augment, and we should not be miseld
> into accepting as original what may be another innovation, namely the
> development of new distinctions based on an existing variety of forms.

I do not wish to intrude on the interesting discussion between you in
progress. However, for whatever it may be worth, I have recently finished a
first draft of a small essay on IE aspects, and a few of you may find it of
passing interest:

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/2803/IE-VerbalInflection.htm

Pat

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