The notion of continuous aspect (Comrie 1976: 25) has traditionally been a highly controversial one. Bybee et al. (1994: 139) suggest that there is not a consistent gram type for the continuous aspect, while Chappell (1992) and Hintz (2011: 51) respectively consider the Mandarin -zhe and the South Conchucos Quechua -yka: as examples of continuous aspect markers. The present study holds that these two continuous markers include resultative, progressive and imperfective functions. The imperfective meaning is to be distinguished from lexical strategies expressing habitual, resultative (in its broad sense) and present-state usages. At early stages of change, the English progressive construction comprised a variety of functions. Some of the original stative meanings of the construction can be analysed as ‘broad’ resultatives and can be seen as the source of the subsequent development of progressive, imperfective and perfect usages. Apart from being a source for the development of perfect, resultatives are also sources of progressives. Although the latter is a typologically sporadic phenomenon, it is yet concentrated across North East Asia, India, Nepal and neighbouring regions, and can be considered as one of the distinctive typological features of the languages of North Asia in general.