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such verbs as arrive, come, leave, find, start, stop, conclude, aim, drop, catch, etc. Here also belong phrasal
verbs with limitive postpositions, e.g. stand up, sit down, get out, be off, etc.
* See the cited books on English grammar by M.A. Ganshina and
N.M. Vasilevskaya, RA. Ilyish, B.S. Khaimovich and B.I.
Rogovskaya.
The verbs of the second order presenting a process as not limited by any border point, should be called,
correspondingly, "unlimitive" (in the existing grammar books they are called either "non-terminative" or else
"durative", or "cursive"). To this subclass belong such verbs as move, continue, live, sleep, work, behave, hope,
stand, etc.
Alongside the two aspective subclasses of verbs, some authors recognize also a third subclass, namely,
verbs of double aspective nature (of "double", or "mixed" lexical character). These, according to the said
authors, are capable of expressing either a "tenninative" or "non-terminative" ("durative") meaning depending
on the context.
However, applying the principle of oppositions, these cases can be interpreted as natural and easy
reductions (mostly neutralizations) of the lexical aspective opposition. Cf:.
Mary and Robert walked through the park pausing at variegated flower-beds. (Unlimitive use, basic
function). In the scorching heat, the party walked the whole way to the ravine bareheaded. (Limitive use,
neutralization). He turned the comer and found himself among a busy crowd of people. (Limitive use, basic
function). It took not only endless scientific effort, but also an enormous courage to prove that the earth turns
round the sun. (Unlimitive use, neutralization).
Observing the given examples, we must admit that the demarcation line between the two aspective verbal
subclasses is not rigidly fixed, the actual differentiation between them being in fact rather loose. Still, the
opposition between limitive and unlimitive verbal sets does exist in English, however indefinitely determined it
may be. Moreover, the described subclass division has an unquestionable grammatical relevance, which is
expressed, among other things, in its peculiar correlation with the categorial aspective forms of the verbs
(indefinite, continuous, perfect); this correlation is to be treated further (see Ch. XV).
§ 10. From the given description of the aspective subclass division of English verbs, it is evident that the
English lexical aspect differs radically from the Russian aspect. In terms of semantic properties, the English
lexical aspect expresses a potentially limited or unlimited process, whereas the Russian aspect expresses the
actual conclusion (the perfective, or tenninative aspect) or non-conclusion (the imperfective, or non-
terminative aspect) of the process in question. In terms of systemic properties, the two English lexical aspect
varieties, unlike their Russian absolutely rigid counterparts, are but loosely distinguished and easily reducible.
In accord with these characteristics, both the English limitive verbs and unlimitive verbs may correspond
alternately either to the Russian perfective verbs or imperfective verbs, depending on the contextual uses.
For instance, the limitive verb arrive expressing an instantaneous action that took place in the past will be
translated by its perfective Russian equivalent:
The exploratory party arrived at the foot of the mountain. Russ:. Экспедиция прибыла к подножию горы.
But if the same verb expresses a habitual, intenninately repeated action, the imperfective Russian
equivalent is to be chosen for its translation:
In those years trains seldom arrived on time. Russ.: В те годы поезда редко приходили вовремя.
Cf. the two possible versions of the Russian translation of the following sentence:
The liner takes off tomorrow at ten. Russ:.
Самолет
вылетит
завтра
в
десять (the flight in question is
looked upon as an individual occurrence). Самолет вылетает завтра в десять (the flight is considered as part
of the traffic schedule, or some other kind of general plan).
Conversely, the English unlimitive verb gaze when expressing a continual action will be translated into
Russian by its imperfective equivalent:
The children gazed at the animals holding their breaths. Russ.: Дети глядели на животных, затаив
дыхание.
But when the same verb renders the idea of an aspectually limited, e.g. started action, its perfective Russian
equivalent should be used in the translation:
The boy turned his head and gazed at the horseman with wide-open eyes. Russ:. Мальчик повернул голову
и уставился на всадника широко открытыми глазами.
Naturally, the unlimitive English verbs in strictly unlimitive contextual use correspond, by defmition, only