The paper investigates the syntactic behavior and semantic constraints of four types of aspectual particles (1)
夭
iau2
/
夭故
iau2koh4
‘still’, (2)
已經
i2king1
‘already’,
(3)
夭未
iau2be7
‘not…yet’, and (4)
毋
m7
/
無
bo5
/
勿
mai3
/
免
bien2
故
koh4
‘not…any more’ in
Taiwanese Southern Min (TSM). In line with
Löbner (1989) it examines the interaction
between aspectual particles and event types. The four types of aspectual particles can be better captured in terms of the notion
of two consecutive event types: event 1 (Ev1) and event 2 (Ev2) coupled with the value of existence and non-existence of a
situation symbolized by [+] and [−]. Type 1 and 3 share the common element
夭
iau2
and Type 1 and 4, the common element 故
koh4
. Whereas
not…yet and
still in English show no lexical
relationship, such a relationship is tangible in TSM and German, as in
夭未
iau2be7
still not ‘not…yet’ and
夭
iau2
‘still’, on the one hand,
and
noch nicht still not ‘not…yet’ and
noch ‘still’, on the other. Parametric variation matters
in dealing with language universal. Like
still in English,
夭
iau2
or its compound kin
夭故
iau2koh4
‘still’
develops the non-aspectual additive and even concessive sense.