Types of classifications of verb semantics and the place of verbs of activity among them

Maxim Stamenov
Institute for Bulgarian Language “Prof. Lyubоmir Andreychin”, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria

Abstract
The present publication reviews the main classifications of verbs on actional (aspectual) and thematic basis. Stepping on this analysis, an alternative ontological classification is proposed, which is based on the paradigm of the-body-in-the-mind, i.e., depending on the nature of the physical embodiment of the person. In this key, an investigation is carried out of the features of verbs of movement in Slavic languages, which are assumed to form the groundwork for the way of understanding of verbs of action and activity. The relevance of the systematic use of the parameters of immediacy-duration, singlenessmanyness and unidirectionality-multidirectionality is considered in describing the semantics of verbs of activity (according to their way of differentiation from other classes of verbs in the actional classification). The study ends with a discussion, in which conclusions are drawn about the potential of the newly proposed ontological classification against the background of the actional and thematic ones that are available in the professional literature.

Keywords: aspectual classification of verbs, thematic classification of verbs, the body in the mind classification of verbs, aspectual class of activity verbs