Natural Language Semantics 16 (2):157-203 (2008)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
In this paper, I argue that the temporal connective prima (‘before’) is a comparative adverb. The argument is based on a number of grammatical facts from Italian, showing that there is an asymmetry between prima and dopo (‘after’). On the ground of their divergent behaviour, I suggest that dopo has a different grammatical status from prima. I propose a semantic treatment for prima that is based on an independently motivated analysis of comparatives which can be traced back to Seuren (in: Kiefer and Ruwet (eds.) Generative grammar in Europe, 1973). Dopo is analyzed instead as an atomic two-place predicate which contributes a binary relation over events to the sentence meaning. The different semantic treatments of the two connectives provide an explanation for the grammatical asymmetries considered at the outset; interestingly, they also shed some light on other asymmetries between prima and dopo, which are known to hold for the English temporal connectives before and after as well: these asymmetries are related to the veridicality properties, the distribution of NPIs, and the logical properties of these connectives first described in Anscombe (Philos Rev 73:3–24, 1964)
|
Keywords | Temporal connectives Comparatives Scalar adverbs |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
DOI | 10.1007/s11050-008-9030-6 |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
Events in the Semantics of English: A Study in Subatomic Semantics.Terence Parsons - 1990 - MIT Press.
Comparing Semantic Theories of Comparison.Arnim Stechovonw - 1984 - Journal of Semantics 3 (1-2):1-77.
The Negative Concord Puzzle Revisited.Elena Herburger - 2001 - Natural Language Semantics 9 (3):289-333.
View all 8 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
Approximating the Limit: The Interaction Between Quasi 'Almost' and Some Temporal Connectives in Italian.Amaral Patrícia & Del Prete Fabio - 2010 - Linguistics and Philosophy 33 (2):51 - 115.
Similar books and articles
Analytics
Added to PP index
2011-01-06
Total views
1,133 ( #3,385 of 2,403,526 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
132 ( #4,220 of 2,403,526 )
2011-01-06
Total views
1,133 ( #3,385 of 2,403,526 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
132 ( #4,220 of 2,403,526 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads