What is aspect meaning?

Aspect meaning refers to the different ways in which the temporal structure of an event or action can be expressed or viewed. It is a grammatical category that is used to reflect the speaker's perspective on the ongoingness or completeness of an event. The distinction between aspectual categories is generally made based on two important parameters - whether the event is completed or ongoing, and whether it is viewed as bounded or unbounded.

For instance, in English, aspectual distinctions are marked using auxiliary verbs such as "have," "do," and "will," which are used to indicate the perfective, progressive, and future aspects respectively. The perfective aspect is used to indicate an action that has been completed while the progressive aspect is used to mark an action that is ongoing. Meanwhile, the future aspect is used to refer to actions that are yet to be completed.

In some languages, aspect plays a more significant role in grammar, affecting not only the verb but also other elements in the sentence. Aspect meaning is important in understanding and translating texts accurately, particularly in languages that depend heavily on grammatical aspect to convey meaning.