Non-aspectual functions of the Japanese aspectual marker -- te iru

The -te iru construction in Japanese has been traditionally analyzed as a marker of aspectual properties, but it is also well-known that some occurrences of the -te iru construction cannot be explained solely by its asspectual properties. In regards to the non-aspectual marking function of the --te iru construction, it has been argued that the construction functions as an evidential marker that indicates the speaker is an observer of the stated event (Fujishiro, 1996; Shinzato, 2003; etc.). However, a close examination of actual discourse shows that not all instances of observed third-person actions are marked with the -- te iru construction.;The present study examines the non-aspectual functions of the -- te iru construction in actual discourse by using the methodological framework of Discourse Analysis. In addition, in order to provide an account for the constraints that restrict the usage of the --te iru construction as an evidential marker of speaker observation, the notion of two modes of discourse, non-narrative and narrative, will be proposed. In short, when a speaker describes an observed third-person event in the discourse mode of non-narrative, in which events are not listed in the temporal order, the --te iru construction can be used as an evidential marker of speaker observation. On the other hand, when an event performed by a third-person is described in the discourse mode of narrative, which is the mode for listing events in the temporal order, the observed event cannot be marked with the --te iru construction unless the event involves aspectual properties that are typically marked with the -- te iru construction such as repetition, continuation, or resultative state.;The present study also examines the cases in which the -- te iru construction marks speaker observation and aspectual properties simultaneously, and discusses how the evidential and aspectual marking functions of the --te iru construction relate to each other. In the final part of the present study, the specific combination of the verb iu 'to say' and the --te iru construction is analyzed to explore the possibility that iu is unique in comparison to other verb when it is used with the --te iru construction.