Creando comunidades de práctica

All the aspectualizers discussed in this chapter allow for –ing complements but

disallow to infinitive constructions (except for go on). 52 In what follows, an attempt will be made to explain why these aspectualizers appear with –ing

complements but not with to-infinitives.

The non-appearance of keep, keep on and resume with to-infinitives is understood

to be motivated by the semantic value of the respective aspectualizer or verb- particle construction.

The aspectualizer (its semantic value) can block, or on the contrary allow for a certain complement construction53. A complement construction (in this case the to- infinitive construction) appears with an aspectualizer only if the aspectualizer (its

semantic value) allows for this construction to be integrated into the sentence (contains part of the meaning of the complement construction)54.

It will be assumed that the non-appearance of the continuative aspectualizers (keep, keep on, resume) with the to-infinitive can be explained by the fact that these verbs

52 _{Duffley (2006) states that although –ing has a direct object value with most of the aspectualizers}

(also with continue and resume) after keep and go on (also keep on) it has the function of a subject

complement. Keep + ing and go on + ing cannot express something which is kept/gone on as (32)

shows; neither do they allow for pseudo-cleft constructions (33):

(32) *Importing oil, like many other commercial activities, was kept by many countries/ *was gone

on by many countries. (Duffley: 108)

(33) *What they kept/ *went on was importing oil; what they discontinued was importing non- essential items like precious stones. (Duffley:109)

53

This interpretation is in accordance with Wierzbicka’s (1988) theory; Wierzbicka also explains the non-occurrence of the aspectualizers with a certain complement form (e.g. to-infinitive) as being

greatly motivated by the semantic value of these aspectual verbs. 54

Although the complement has a meaning of its own (schematic meaning) its constructional meaning (prototypical meaning) results through its integration in the construction as a whole. The prototypical meaning of the complement construction gets activated by the semantic value of the aspectualizer after it is embedded in the sentence; this can happen only if the aspectualizer has in its meaning the possibility to evoke the prototypical meaning of the complement.

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lack in their meaning the possibility of future orientation (they all refer to the ongoing, durative nature of the complement construction).

Also, the fact that the aspectualizers keep, keep on and resume only appear with - ing shows that the focus in these constructions is put on the ongoing occurrence of

the event expressed by the complement (schematic meaning of the constructions).

With the keep + ing, keep on + ing and go on + ing constructions the focus can be

put on the ongoing nature of a single occurrence (as in (34), (36), (38) or of a series of occurrences that are often part of a larger occurrence (35), (37), (39)).

(34) I didn't want to touch him and I hoped Ma would do it but she kept looking at the kid's clothes piled on the floor and the pool of water by them and didn't make

any move to. (BROWN)

(35) The country will not change until it re-examines itself and discovers what it really means by freedom. In the meantime, generations keep being born, bitterness is increased by incompetence, pride, and folly, and the world shrinks around us.

(BROWN) (36) All the tears of the seven seas will not wash away what you are, were, and probably will go on being as you leave these premises. Harlan wept on.

(FROWN) (37) Generally the habits he’d acquired were quite different from hers. He went on wearing the same clothes day after day, apparently untroubled when they were too thick or too thin for the current weather. (FLOB) (38) He saw the surprise in her face, and laughed as though it were the funniest expression he had ever seen. He kept on laughing until she started laughing with

him. (BROWN)

(39) He wanted the police to notice him, to suspect him. She was going to keep on scheming, poking, prodding, suggesting, and dictating until the cops got up enough interest in him to go back to their old neighborhood and ask questions.

(BROWN)

Of all the continuative aspectualizers mentioned, go on is different, since it allows

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aspectualizers keep and resume and also the verb-particle construction keep on + ing in that it implies in its meaning the possible orientation towards the future

occurrence of the complement verb. The sentences below with go on + to infinitive

(sentences (40-42) refer to the further occurrence of the event expressed by the complement). The go on + to infinitive construction expresses the orientation

towards an event which is future with respect to the RT expressed by the sentence (the moment when Nick agrees with his interlocutor in (40), when Arnold Palmer staged two rallies in (41) and when the doctor made his remark in (42).

(40) "It certainly was, Sam," Nick would agree, and go on to say with a touch of self-importance: "No wonder he tried to have me suffocated back last summer.”

(LOB)

(41) Arnold Palmer (TIME cover, May), who staged two cliffhanging rallies to win both the Masters and U&S& Open crowns, went on to win a record $80,738 for

the year. (BROWN)

(42) At the time Alex arrived he was engaged in some sort of intimate communication with the hen, who had settled herself on the nest most peacefully after the occurrences of the morning. "Chickens have short memories", the doctor remarked, "that's why they are better company than most people I know", and he went on to break some important news to Alex. (BROWN)

Go on + ing, by contrast, stresses the ongoing nature of the complement verb. In

sentences (43-44) the constructions express the ongoing durative character of the complement. This construction may refer to a single durative occurrence (43) or to a series of happenings that are part of a larger occurrence (44).

(43) (…) Darling, I wasn't completely asleep when you drove me home. I heard all those beautiful things you said to me. I kept quiet because I wanted you to go on talking . It was so beautiful to hear you say those words.

(BNC)

(44) Hari moved towards the door. "I will go on working in my shop until you get the premises, then." "I've got the premises already," Emily said and then she saw the surprised look on Hari's face. "Nothing definitely decided, of course." "Where

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is it?" Hari asked. "I hope it's nothing too grand." "It's an old building at the bottom of Wind Street," Emily said. (BNC)

The different meanings of the go on + ing and go on + to infinitive constructions

are also reflected by subtle differences in register. The most common occurrence of

go on + ing seems to be in fiction (keep + ing and keep on + ing also seem to

appear most frequently in fiction) and the most reduced occurrence in academic texts and newspapers, this seems to be slightly different in the case of go on + to infinitive. The data show that besides fiction go on + to infinitive tends to appear

also frequently in academic texts and newspapers (as well as biographies and texts on natural science, social science, law and education that make up the miscellaneous category)55.

A possible way to explain it is that academic texts and also newspapers often contain reports on results or processes implied by a research; in such contexts go on + to infinitive seems to be more appropriate.

Another thing that distinguishes go on + to infinitive from go on + ing is their

schematic meaning. Unlike go on + ing, where the focus is put on the ongoing

occurrence of the complement verb within go on + to infinitive the focus is shifted

to the upcoming event. The particle within the go on + to infinitive construction

often expresses the orientation towards a new event after the termination of a former event.

55 _{The data show a frequent occurrence of go on + ing and went on + ing in fiction (out of 574}

matches for go on + ing 287 matches are in fiction (only 57 in academic texts); also of 274 matches

for went on + ing 226 matches belong to fiction (only 13 matches for academic texts, 8 matches for

newspapers). For go on + to infinitive there were 335 matches, out of which 80 entries belong to the

miscellaneous category and 111 entries to academic texts and only 22 matches to the category fiction; also went on + to infinitive with 1036 matches 287 matches belong to the miscellaneous

category and 242 matches to the newspaper category; the entry for fiction yielded 124 matches (data based on the BNC).

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7.4. The occurrence of continuative aspectualizers with situation types