Active vs. Stative verbs
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- sinic
- Posts: 262
- Joined: 31 Dec 2010 20:17
Active vs. Stative verbs
My conlang distinguishes between active and stative verbs, and depending on whether it's active or stative it's conjugated a certain way. I really need help with some verbs though. I don't know whether they are active or stative. Help please!
Magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri. -Multomixtor
:zho:
:zho:
Re: Active vs. Stative verbs
Which verbs?wakeagainstthefall wrote:My conlang distinguishes between active and stative verbs, and depending on whether it's active or stative it's conjugated a certain way. I really need help with some verbs though. I don't know whether they are active or stative. Help please!
Re: Active vs. Stative verbs
Languages use different precise semantic divisions for these things. I can, however, give you a few ideas:
1. Does whatever the verb describes have a definite beginning and/or end? (reading vs. read a book)
2. Does the verb leave a large, visual change in the environment it operates over? (hugging vs. stabbing)
3. Does the verb involve relatively long-distance physical movement? (running to the store vs. running in place)
1. Does whatever the verb describes have a definite beginning and/or end? (reading vs. read a book)
2. Does the verb leave a large, visual change in the environment it operates over? (hugging vs. stabbing)
3. Does the verb involve relatively long-distance physical movement? (running to the store vs. running in place)
Re: Active vs. Stative verbs
You should also consider taking a look at Wikipedia's article on Active-stative languages. Though it describes alignment and not morphology, it does provide a few ideas you could use. For instance, when the line between active and stative is blurred, the one chosen could be based of the speaker's degree of volition or control. Thus, "I eat" could be stative if you're describing a situation of eating, but active if you're expressing that you yourself are eating or heading off to eat, or if others are enthusiastically eating. This could also be expressed as background information vs current information. On the other hand, your verbs could be lexically fixed, so that "I eat" is solely stative (or active) regardless of any other factors.
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- sinic
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Re: Active vs. Stative verbs
I understand the basic difference, some verbs are just tricky to me for some reason. Like the verb "to carry on/keep going."
Magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri. -Multomixtor
:zho:
:zho:
Re: Active vs. Stative verbs
Hi, Wakeagainstthefall,
Here's a link that illustrates the stative vs. dynamic distinction in English.
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/ ... r/stat.htm
Hope this helps!
--Jim G.
P.S. I like the term "dynamic" verb better than "active" verb, because I'm less likely to confuse it with the "active" in "active language" (aka "Split-S" and "Fluid S" languages) or in "active voice."
Here's a link that illustrates the stative vs. dynamic distinction in English.
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/ ... r/stat.htm
Hope this helps!
--Jim G.
P.S. I like the term "dynamic" verb better than "active" verb, because I'm less likely to confuse it with the "active" in "active language" (aka "Split-S" and "Fluid S" languages) or in "active voice."
“If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” --Juan Ramon Jimenez
- eldin raigmore
- korean
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Re: Active vs. Stative verbs
Rainchild wrote:Hi, Wakeagainstthefall,
Here's a link that illustrates the stative vs. dynamic distinction in English.
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/ ... r/stat.htm
Hope this helps!
--Jim G.
P.S. I like the term "dynamic" verb better than "active" verb, because I'm less likely to confuse it with the "active" in "active language" (aka "Split-S" and "Fluid S" languages) or in "active voice."
JimG is probably going to be our next MVP.
My minicity is http://gonabebig1day.myminicity.com/xml
Re: Active vs. Stative verbs
eldin raigmore wrote:JimG is probably going to be our next MVP.
So, anyway, are there dynamic-static forms of each verb (is this the case in languages like Arabic, which explicitly mark dynamic-static-ness)?