The category of aspect. (Terminology, special uses and different interrelation)

Each of the two aspects must be given some name which should of course be as adequate as possible to the basic meaning of the aspect. It seems easier to find a name for the type is writ-ing than for the type writes. The term continuous aspect has now been in use for some time already and indeed it seems very appro-priate to the phenomenon which it is used to describe. As to the type writes, a term is rather more difficult to find, as the us-es of this form are much more varied and its intrinsic meaning, accordingly, less definite. This state of things may be best of all described by the term common aspect, which is indefinite enough to allow room for the various uses. It also has the merit of being parallel with the term common case, which has been discussed above and which seems the best to de-note the phenomenon if a case system in English nouns is recognised at all. Thus we will use the terms continuous aspect and common aspect to denote the two aspects of the Modern English verb. SPECIAL USES

However, the problem of aspects and their uses is by no means exhausted. First of all we must now mention the uses of the con-tinuous aspect which do not easily fit into the definition given above. Forms of this aspect are occasionally used with the adverbs always, continually, etc., when the action is meant to be unlimited by time. Here are some typical examples of this use: He was constantly experimenting with new seed. (LINKLATER) Rose is always wanting James to retire. (CARY) The adverbial modifier always shows that Rose's wish is thought of as something constant, not restricted to any particular moment. So the difference between the sentence as it stands and the possible variant, Rose always wants James to retire does not lie in the character of the action. Obviously the peculiar shade of meaning in the original sentence is emphatic; the action is represented as never ceasing and this gives the sentence a stronger emotional colouring than it would have with the form of the common aspect: the lexical meaning of always is reinforced by the emphatic colouring of the con-tinuous aspect. It is quite clear that these are exaggerated statements, where the form of the continuous aspect is used emotionally, to present an action as going on and on without interruption, whereas that, in the nature of things, is not possible. DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONSThe interpretation of the opposition writes — is writing given above is not the only one to be found in works dealing with the English language. We will now consider some different interpreta-tions proposed by various scholars.O. Jespersen 1 treated the type is writing as a means of expressing limited duration, that is, in his own words, expressing an action serving as frame to another which is performed within the frame set by that first action. A somewhat similar view has been propounded by Prof. N. Irtenyeva,2 who thinks that the basic mean-ing of the type is writing is that of simultaneity of an action with another action. In assessing these views it must be said that they are plausible for some cases, especially for a complex sentence, in which the type writes is used in the main clause, while the type is writing is used in the subordinate clause, or vice versa. This can only be found when the narration refers to the past time.