Aspectual transitions and lexical derivations: mapping inchoativity in French and Spanish grammar

Abstract The paper aims to provide a typological analysis of inchoativity in Romance languages, specifically focusing on French and Spanish. The concept of inchoativity, which marks the beginning of an event or change of state, has been ambiguously used and inconsistently defined across linguistic studies. The paper highlights the complexities in terminology, where the same term may represent different concepts or be applied in varied contexts. Two primary approaches are explored: the onomasiological perspective, which examines how inchoativity is expressed through lexical and grammatical elements, and the semasiological perspective, which focuses on the morphological features of verbs denoting state changes. Finally, the paper examines if an integrated approach, attempting to bridge these perspectives, can be defended. In contrast to earlier studies, we conclude that significant challenges remain in reconciling them at the semantic level.