The Semantic Variability of Absolute Constructions

I. The Semantic Variability of Free Adjuncts and Absolutes.
- 1. Introduction to Free Adjuncts and Absolutes in English.
- 1.1. The Free Adjunct Construction.
- 1.2. The Nominative and Augmented Absolute Constructions.
- 2. Traditional Thoughts on the Semantic Variability of Free Adjuncts and Absolutes.
- 3. Plan of Discussion.
- 4. Some Syntactic Conventions.
- 4.1. Binary Features.
- 4.2. Morphological Functions.
- 4.3. Main Verb Marking.
- 4.4. Subject Marking.
- 4.5. Syntactic Subroutines.- Footnotes.-
II. Modality and the Interpretation of Free Adjuncts.
- 1. The Semantic Bifurcation of Free Adjuncts in Modal Contexts.
- 2. Explaining the Entailment Properties of Strong and Weak Adjuncts in Modal Contexts.
- 2.1. Kratzer's Theory of Conditional Modality.
- 2.2. The Roles of Strong and Weak Adjuncts in Modal Sentences.
- 2.2.1. Weak Adjuncts in Modal Contexts.
- 2.2.2. Strong Adjuncts in Modal Contexts.
- 3. A Semantic Correlate of the Distinction between Strong and Weak Adjuncts.
- 3.1. Carlson's Ontology of Stages and Individuals.
- 3.2. A Categorial Distinction between Stage-level and Individual-level Predicates.
- 3.2.1 Be1 ? PIVi/PREDs.
- 3.2.2 Be2 ? PIVi/PREDi.
- 3.2.3 Be3 ? PIVs/PREDi.
- 3.2.4 Be4 ? PIVs/PREDs.
- 3.3. The Stage/Individual Distinction as a Semantic Correlate of the Weak/Strong Distinction.
- 3.4. Adjuncts with As and With.
- 4. Chapter Summary.- Footnotes.-
III. Tense and the Interpretation of Free Adjuncts.
- 1. Preliminaries.
- 1.1. Interval Semantics.
- 1.2. Temporal Abstracts.
- 1.2.1. Rules of Tense.
- 1.2.2. Shifting and Nonshifting Tenses.
- 1.3. Two Categories of Time Adverbs.
- 1.3.1. Time Adverbs of Category TA.
- 1.3.2. Time Adverbs of Category MTA.
- 1.4. The Semantics of Temporal Adverbial Clauses.
- 1.4.1. The Analysis of Tense in Temporal Adverbial Clauses.
- 1.4.2. Unbounded Dependencies in Temporal Adverbial Clauses.
- 1.4.3. Temporal Adverbial Clauses with Main Tense Adverbs.
- 1.4.4. Remarks on Some Unacceptable Temporal Adverbials.
- 1.4.5. Remarks on the Assumed Truthconditions for Temporal Adverbial Clauses.
- 1.4.5.1. When.
- 1.4.5.2. While.
- 1.4.5.3. Before.
- 1.4.5.4. After.
- 1.5. Summary of Tense and Time Adverb System.
- 2. The Temporal Reference of Free Adjuncts.
- 2.1. A-Abstracts.
- 2.2. Deriving Conditional Adjuncts.
- 2.3. Deriving Adsentential Adjuncts.
- 3. Frequency Adverbs and the Distinction between Strong and Weak Adjuncts.
- 3.1. The Semantics of Relative Frequency Adverbs.
- 3.2. Adjuncts Restricting the Interpretation of Relative Frequency Adverbs.
- 4. A Generalization Operator.
- 4.1. Two Sorts of Interpretations for Temporal Adverbial Clauses.
- 4.2. Generalization Operators.
- 4.3. Adjuncts Restricting the Generalization Operator G".
- 5. Chapter Summary.- Footnotes.-
IV. Aspect and the Interpretation of Free Adjuncts.
- 1. The Perfect Tense and the Interpretation of Free Adjuncts.
- 1.1. The Semantic Unspecificity of the Perfect.
- 1.2. The Formal Semantics of the Perfect in Finite Clauses.
- 1.3. The Formal Semantics of the Perfect in Free Adjuncts.
- 2. An Argument for Free Adjuncts as Main Tense Adverbs.
- 3. The Progressive Aspect and the Interpretation of Free Adjuncts.
- 3.1. The Semantics of Present Participial Phrases.
- 3.2. The Formal Semantics of Present Participial Adjuncts.
- 4. Chapter Summary.- Footnotes.-
V. The Formal Semantics of Absolutes.
- 1. Modality and the Interpretation of Absolutes.
- 1.1. Weak and Strong Absolutes.
- 1.2. Formalizing the Distinction Between Strong and Weak Absolutes.
- 1.3. Deriving Conditional Absolutes.
- 2. Tense and the Interpretation of Absolutes.
- 2.1. Absolutes and Relative Frequency Adverbs.
- 2.2. Absolutes and the Generalization Operator G".
- 3. Absolutes as Main Tense Adverbs.
- 4. Chapter Summary.- Footnotes.-
VI. Inference and the Logical Role of Free Adjuncts and Absolutes.
- 1. Summary of the Proposed Semantic Analysis of Free Adjuncts and Absolutes.
- 2. The Role of Inference in the Interpretation of Free Adjuncts and Absolutes.
- 2.1. Two Kinds of Inferences.
- 2.2. Inferences, Adjuncts, and Absolutes.
- 2.2.1. Carlson's Ontology.
- 2.2.2. Instantaneousness.
- 2.2.3. Word Order.
- 2.2.4. Knowledge of the World.
- 2.2.5. Connective Adverbs.
- 2.3. Pragmatically Admissible Values for L and M.
- 3. On the Possibility of Deriving Absolute Constructions from Adverbial Subordinate Clauses.
- 4. On the Possibility that the Logical Role of an Absolute Construction is Always Inferred.
- 5. Theoretical Implications.- Footnotes.- Appendix - A Formal Fragment for Free Adjuncts and Absolutes.
- 1. Intensional Logic.
- 2. Syntax and Translation Rules for a Fragment of English.
- 2.1. Syntax.
- 2.2. Translation.- References.- Index of Names.- General Index.