Information on the thesis

The dissertation focuses on the expression of the actional semantics of telicity of an
action in German and Ukrainian.
Based on the theory of A. V. Bondarko about functional-semantic fields the telicity
of an action is considered as a functional-semantic field that together with atelicity are
parts of the functional-semantic macrofield of actionality. Altogether the actional
semantics is considered as a dynamic scale, where the telic and atelic meanings are its two
different poles. The Zeno Vendlers classification is used as its basis and the distinct classes
are considered to be obverses of the scale of telicity/atelicity. The telicity of an action
includes the meanings of achieving a bound and just moving towards it and consists of a
number of microfields which are frequently overlapping each other. Among them are the
phasal microfields of the beginning, the bounded durativeness and the ending of an action
and the microfields of the semelfactivity and the resultativity of an action. Based on
semantics that different leveled means of expression of telicity of an action have and the
frequency of its use in each microfield in German and Ukrainian, one should distinguish
between the core, the near-core zone and the periphery.
On the basis of the comparative analysis there are defined common and distictive
features concerning the means of expression of the actional semantics of telicity of an
action in German and Ukrainian. The research work shows that in the two languages there
are often being used similar means of expression of the telic semantics of the beginning,
the bounded durativeness, the ending, the semelfactivity and the resultativity of an action.
In the Ukrainian language the central position holds the verb in the form of perfective
aspect which expresses the respective semantics with the help of its lexical meaning, in
particular being influenced by a number of prefixes (e.g. напишу, посиджу). Functions of
other means of expression are narrowed to either activation of the phasal semantics, the
semantics of the semelfactivity and the resultativity of an action among different lexical-
semantic variants of a verb in the form of the perfective aspect (e.g. раптом заспіваю) or
just its strengthening (e.g. доїм до кінця). The situation in German is different: though the
verb holds here the central position by expressing the telic semantics of achieving the
bound, nevertheless the decisive role plays the context. i.e. adverbials and sequences of
successive actions. This leads to the conclusion that despite the fact that Ukrainian
possesses forms of the grammatical category of the aspect and German relates to
grammatically nonaspectual languages, the semantics of achieving the bound may be
realised in both languages.
Key words: actionality, functional-semantic field, actional semantics, verbal aspect,
Aktionsart, telicity of an action, beginning, bounded durativeness, ending, semelfactivity,
resultativity.