Aspect
We have said that tense defines the location of an event in time.
Aspect, on the other hand, defines the shape, distribution, or “internal organization” (Bybee1985) of the event in time. Aspect relates to questions like the following:
Is the situation changing or static?
Is the event spread over a period of time, or is it thought of as being instantaneous?
Does the situation have a definite end point, or is it open-ended?
Does the situation involve a single unique event, or an event which is repeated over and over?
We are primarily interested in morphological aspect, that is, the kinds of aspectual distinctions which are frequently signaled by verbal affixation. However, aspect is also an important part of the basic meaning of many predicates. We will refer to these aspectual components of meaning as LEXICAL ASPECT.
