Abstract
This paper presents a relative theory of tense which accounts for tense behaviors in English in both matrix and embedded contexts. Crucial to this proposal is novel data which shows that the temporal orientation of finite embedded clauses is constrained by the attitude verbs which embed them. While such constraints have been observed in modal auxiliaries and non-finite-embedding attitude verbs, finite-embedding-attitudes present an important new perspective because they show that whatever constraints are introduced by the modal must be able to coexist with a tensed prejacent. This proposal is compositional, and a formal analysis is given, by which modals, including attitude verbs, may constrain the temporal possibilities of an embedded clause, without themselves introducing a reference time argument. The constraining effect of attitude verbs also eliminates the need to stipulate a general Upper Limit Constraint, and allows for a means to capture correspondences between modal flavor and temporal orientation. The result is an elegant accounting of embedded tense with empirical coverage superior to previous proposals. http://dx.doi.org/10.3765/sp.9.9 BibTeX info
Highlights
This paper presents a relative theory of tense which accounts for tense behaviors in English in both matrix and embedded contexts
Embedded tenses are instead interpreted in a relative manner — their evaluation time (EvalT) corresponds to the reference time (RT) of the matrix tense; call these theories relative
Motivated by novel data involving the attitude verb hope and generalizations about the relationship between modal base type and temporal orientation in auxiliaries, this paper develops a theory of modality and temporality on which modals quantify over partial histories
Summary
One thing that may be troubling to the reader at this point about the proposal regarding the ULC is that this appears to take a phenomenon which had a systematic explanation and replace it with one which has a lexically variable, idiosyncratic one The temporal constraints imposed by attitude verbs are a function of what kind of modal domain they have — deontic, bouletic, epistemic, etc. Doxastic, and reportative attitude verbs impose an upper limit, but deontic, bouletic, and teleological ones do not. The doxastic attitude verb believe imposes an upper limit, while the deontic/imperative attitude verb tell does not (and imposes a lower limit).. (i) Itamar told his daughter that her mother went to bed.
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