Re: Dynamic vs. Stative Verbs

Scott wrote:
\> I'm trying to come up with a list of verb "pairs." Please
> add to the list or correct me....
>
> For example, taste.
> - "John, taste this sauce."  (dynamic)
> - John tasted the sauce.  (dynamic)
> - Wow it was hot. He could really taste the chilis in the sauce.
> (stative)
I'm a little in doubt about the stativeness of #3; still seems dynamic, or
perhaps "experiential".

Whereas: "This sauce tastes funny ~tastes of pepper" is stative.

Same sort of 3-way distinction with "smell":
He smelled the flowers (= he put his nose to them) dynamic
He smells flowers (somewhere) experiential??
The flowers smell good/bad etc.  -- stative

Another: We pushed the car (dyn.)
The car pushed easily (stat.)

Comparable to : He wrote a letter vs. This pen writes smoothly.

Another: John cooked for 10 years (he used to be a chef) ???
John cooked the steak/the rice/dinner -- dyn.
Rice cooks in 20 minutes -- stative?

In some cases, these "stative" examples are also termed "middle" or
"mediopassive" voice-- there may be more going on than simply a 2-way
distinction.

Chris Bates' comments are also relevant.
-----------------------------------------
> feel (stat.)   |   touch (dyn.)
Personally, I'd reverse these: though both are transitive, "touch" unlike
"feel" can connote "accidental, non-deliberate" action:
John touched a live wire and got electrocuted.

Or: John touched her breast vs. John felt her breast. Ahem.

(It's a very interesting area. I've encountered similar problems in Kash
vocabulary....)

Reply