Tense, Aspect, and Modality

Abstract

The meaning of a sentence of a natural language may be regarded as the logical form or linguistic structure of that sentence within a suitable interpreted underlying logic.1 The phrase ‘the meaning’ suggests that there is only one logical form of a given sentence, and indeed this is often the case if the word order of the sentence, stress, rhythm, intonation, and the like, are taken into account. Ordinarily these are disregarded, but surely they should be considered in a full account. Also sentences are usually taken in isolation from one another, and their logical forms likewise. But this will never do. The wider linguistic context in which a sentence is usually embedded should also be taken into account, a point well emphasized by Henry Hiz. Sometimes this wider context may not be especially significant, but often it will be crucial in influencing the choice of the logical form. Ultimately, then, the meaning of a sentence cannot be given in isolation. Rather is the meaning of a sequence of sentences given by means of a sequence of logical forms, providing for as much of the environing context as is relevant.