The Semantic Variability of Absolute Constructions

419 Pages·1985·18.496 MB·Synthese Language Library 25

by  Gregory T. Stump (auth.)

THE SEMANTIC VARIABILITY OF ABSOLUTE CONSTRUCTIONS
SYNTHESE LANGUAGE LIBRARY
TEXTS AND STUDIES IN
LINGUISTICS AND PHILOSOPHY
Managing Editors.
ELiSABET ENGDAHL, University of Wisconsin
JAAKKO HINTIKKA, Florida State University, Tallahassee
ST ANLEY PETERS, Stanford University
Editorial Board:
EMMON BACH, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
JOAN BRESNAN, Stanford University
JOHN LYONS, University of Sussex
JULIUS M. E. MORAVCSIK, Stanford University
PATRICK SUPPES, Stanford University
DANA SCOTT, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh
VOLUME 25
GREGORY T. STUMP
Department of English, University of Kentucky
THE SEMANTIC
VARIABILITY
OF ABSOLUTE
CONSTRUCTIONS
D. REIDEL PUBLISHING COMPANY
A MEMBER OF THE KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS GROUP
DORDRECHT/BOSTON/LANCASTER
library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Stump, Gregory T. (Gregory Thomas), 1954-
The semantic variability of absolute constructions.
(Synthese language library; v. 25)
Based upon the author's thesis (Ph.D.-Ohio State University,
1981) presented under title: The formal semantics and pragmatics'c;[free
adjuncts and absolutes in English.
Bibliography: p.
Includes indexes.
1. English language-Semantics. I. Title. II. Series.
PE1585.S665 1984 425 84-22277
ISBN-13: 978-90-277-1896-9 e-ISBN-13: 978-94-009-5277-5
DOl: 10.1007/978-94-009-5277-5
Published by D. Reidel Publishing Company,
P.O. Box 17,3300 AA Dordrecht, Holland.
Sold and distributed in the U.S.A. and Canada
by Kluwer Academic Publishers,
190 Old Derby Street, Hingham, MA 02043, U.S.A.
In all other countries, sold and distributed
by Kluwer Academic Publishers Group,
P.O. Box 322, 3300 AH Dordrecht, Holland.
All Rights Reserved
© 1985 by D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland
Softcover reprint of the hardcover I st edition 1985
No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without written permission [rom the copyright owner
For Marcia
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE xiii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xvii
I. THE SEMANTIC VARIABILITY OF FREE ADJUNCTS AND
ABSOLUTES
1. Introduction to Free Adjuncts and Absolutes in
English 4
1.1. The Free Adjunct Construction 4
1.2. The Nominative and Augmented Absolute
Constructions 8
2. Traditional Thoughts on the Semantic
Variability of Free Adjuncts and Absolutes 14
3. Plan of Discussion 22
4. Some Syntactic Conventions 27
4.1. Binary Features 27
4.2. Morphological Functions 29
4.3. Main Verb Marking 31
4.4. Subject Marking 32
4.5. Syntactic Subroutines 32
Footnotes 36
II. MODALITY AND THE INTERPRETATION OF FREE ADJUNCTS 41
1. The Semantic Bifurcation of Free Adjuncts in
Modal Contexts 42
2. Explaining the Entailment Properties of Strong
and Weak Adjuncts in Modal Contexts 44
2.1. Kratzer's Theory of Conditional Modality 45
2.2. The Roles of Strong and Weak Adjuncts
in Modal 3entences 53
2.2.1. Weak Adjuncts in Modal Contexts 56
2.2.2. 3trong Adjuncts in Modal contexts 58
viii TABLE OF CONTENTS
3. A Semantic Correlate of the Distinction
between Strong and Weak Adjuncts 64
3.1. Carlson's Ontology of Stages and
Individuals 66
3.2. A Categorial Distinction between Stage-
level and Individual-level Predicates 71
3.2.1. Be1 f PIVi/PREDs 73
3.2.2. Be2 f PIVi/PREDi 75
3.2.3. Be3 f PIVs/PREDi 76
79
3.3. The Stage/Individual Distinction as
a Semantic Correlate of the
Weak/Strong Distinction 84
3.4. Adjuncts with As and With 86
4. Chapter Summary 89
Footnotes 90
III. TENSE AND THE INTERPRETATION OF FREE ADJUNCTS 97
1. Preliminaries 100
1.1. Interval Semantics 101
1.2. Temporal Abstracts 103
1 .2.1. Rules of Tense 105
1.2.2. Shifting and Nonshifting Tenses 108
1.3. Two Categories of Time Adverbs 116
1.3.1. Time Adverbs of Category TA 116
1.3.2. Time Adverbs of Category MTA 117
1.4. The Semantics of Temporal Adverbial
Clauses 121
1.4.1. The AnalYSis of Tense in Temporal
Adverbial Clauses 123
1.4.2. Unbounded Dependencies in Temporal
Adverbial Clauses 130
1.4.3. Temporal Adverbial Clauses with
Main Tense Adverbs 137
1.4.4. Remarks on Some Unacceptable
Temporal Adverbials 144
1.4.5. Remarks on the Assumed
Truthconditions for Temporal
Adverbial Clauses 147
1.4.5.1. When 148
1.4.5.2. While 156
1.4.5.3. Before 158
TABLE OF CONTENTS ix
1.4.5.4. ACter 159
1.5. Summary of Tense and Time Adverb System 160
2. The Temporal Reference of Free Adjuncts 162
2.1. A-Abstracts 163
2.2. Deriving Conditional Adjuncts 165
2.3. Deriving Adsentential Adjuncts 166
3. Frequency Adverbs and the Distinction between
Strong and Weak Adjuncts 172
3.1. The Semantics of Relative Frequency
Adverbs 173
3.2. Adjuncts Restricting the Interpretation
of Relative Frequency Adverbs 184
4. A Generalization Operator 190
4.1. Two Sorts of Interpretations for
Temporal Adverbial Clauses 192
4.2. Generalization Operators 193
4.3. Adjuncts Restricting the Generali-
zation Operator G" 203
5. Chapter Summary 206
Footnotes 209
IV. ASPECT AND THE INTERPRETATION OF FREE ADJUNCTS 220
1. The Perfect Tense and the Interpretation of
Free Adjuncts 222
1.1. The Semantic Unspecificity of the Perfect 223
1.2. The Formal Semantics of the Perfect in
Finite Clauses 236
1.3. The Formal Semantics of the Perfect in
Free Adjuncts 242
2. An Argument for Free Adjuncts as Main Tense
Adverbs 247
3. The Progressive Aspect and the Interpretation
of Free Adjuncts 253
3.1. The Semantics of Present Participial
Phrases 255
3.2. The Formal Semantics of Present
Participial Adjuncts 261
4. Chapter Summary 264
Footnotes 265
x TABLE OF CONTENTS
V. THE FORMAL SEMANTICS OF ABSOLUTES 270
1. Modality and the Interpretation of Absolutes 272
1.1. Weak and Strong Absolutes 272
1.2. Formalizing the Distinction Between
Strong and Weak Absolutes 277
1.3. Deriving Conditional Absolutes 279
2. Tense and the Interpretation of Absolutes 280
2.1. Absolutes and Relative Frequency Adverbs 281
2.2. Absolutes and the Generalization Operator
~ ~3
3. Absolutes as Main Tense Adverbs 285
4. Chapter Summary 289
Footnotes 290
VI. INFERENCE AND THE LOGICAL ROLE OF FREE ADJUNCTS
AND ABSOLUTES 299
1. Summary of the Proposed Semantic Analysis of
Free Adjuncts and Absolutes 300
2. The Role of Inference in the Interpretation of
Free Adjuncts and Absolutes 303
2.1. Two Kinds of Inferences 304
2.2. Inferences, Adjuncts, and Absolutes 307
2.2.1. Carlson's Ontology 308
2.2.2. Instantaneousness 318
2.2.3. Hord Order 321
2.2.4. Knowledge of the World 321
2.2.5. Connective Adverbs 322
2.3. Pragmatically Admissible Values for Land
H 325
3. On the Possibility of Deriving Absolute
Constructions from Adverbial Subordinate
Clauses 329
4. On the Possibility that the Logical Role of an
Absolute Construction is Always Inferred 335
5. Theoretical Implications 340
Footnotes 344
TABLE OF CONTENTS xi
APPENDIX - A FORMAL FRAGMENT FOR FREE ADJUNCTS AND
ABSOLUTES 350
1. Intensional Logic 350
2. Syntax and Translation Rules for a Fragment of
English 360
2.1. Syntax 360
2.2. Translation 377
REFERENCES 390
INDEX OF NAMES 396
GENERAL INDEX 398