International Journal of Language & Linguistics

Aspect Measure Versus Event/State Measure, The Present Perfective Aspect, The Present Imperfective Aspect, and The Present Perfective Progressive Aspect in English and Mandarin, and The Mandarin Particles “Le”, “Zheng”, “Wan”, “Zhe”, “Zai”
Hsiu Wen Wendy Cheng

Abstract
This paper is my proposal of: the foundation of perfective and imperfective aspect measure with event measure, across languages, the grounds of the contrasts and compatibility between the aspects across languages, and the syntax and semantics of the Mandarin particles “Le”, “Zheng”, “Wan”, “Zhe”, “Zai”. I propose the following1: The Mandarin particle “le”, at the post-predicate phrase position (i.e.the position after the complement of a predicate), is complementarily a present perfective marker, and a present imperfective marker. This post-predicate phrase “le”, either introduces the starting point of a type event, or the starting point of a token event. This post-predicate phrase “le1”, introduces the starting point of a token event, when this sentence with “le1”, is uttered, prior to the completion of this event, denoted by the verb phrase, to which “le1” attaches. This post-predicate phrase “le1”, introduces the starting point of a type event, when this sentence with “le1”, is uttered, after the completion of this event, denoted by the verb phrase, to which “le1” attaches. This delicate mechanism, presented by this Mandarin particle “le”, at a post-predicate phrase position, is a mechanism composed of syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. This Mandarin particle “le’, at a post-predicate position (i.e. the position after a predicate), simultaneously signals important information: Aspect and tense, is interpreted, in relation to event partitions. This proposal of a post-predicate phrase “le”, further illustrates the interesting contrast to the English present perfective aspect, English present imperfective aspect, and English present perfective progressive aspect, with a set of findings: One is that, the English present perfective progressive aspect, and the Mandarin post-predicate phrase “le”, are exact counterparts. This paper in addition provides a summary of this universal and parametric blueprint of the aspects in English and Mandarin, with regard to a state-denoting predicate and an event-denoting verb. How the computation, of this schema, of aspect and event measure, is at work, is addressed. As an illustration of how the scope of the Mandarin particle “le” is elevated, “The Superman Phenomenon” is proposed. “The Changchang (Often) Phenomenon” illustrates the (in)compatibility of this adverbial and the particle “le”.

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