Re: Verb specificity (Was: Re: Natural Order of Events)

2009/1/29 Paul Kershaw <ptkershaw@...>

> ----- Original Message ----
>
> > From: Christophe Grandsire-Koevoets <tsela.cg@...>
> > Note that you can say: "je marche vers la gare", but that means "I'm
> walking
> > in the direction of the station". It only indicates a direction, not a
> > destination.
>
> It's been a while since high school, so it's possible that we were taught
> "marcher vers," but I certainly don't recall being taught this. It's
> interesting.
>
> So, to make sure I understand, "J'ai marché vers la gare" makes no comment
> about either my intent to go to the train station or whether I actually got
> there, correct? As such, an approximate English translation would be "I
> walked toward the station."
>
>
Exactly. Context could of course make it clear that the intent was to go to
the station, but without context there is no way to know. It indeed makes no
comment on the actual destination of the walk (you can add it with a goal
complement, but it would feel stilted and unnatural).
-- 
Christophe Grandsire-Koevoets.

http://christophoronomicon.blogspot.com/
http://www.christophoronomicon.nl/