Linguistic grammar homework.
Chapter 5: Form & Meaning of Verbs
III. Semantic Tense and Aspect
Form versus Meaning
IV. Future Tense and Modals
V. Infinitives
III. Semantic Tense and Aspect
Form versus Meaning:
III. Semantic Tense and Aspect
Form versus Meaning
- Form does not always correspond exactly to meaning.
1. One form may have two meanings
2. One meaning may have two forms.
III. Semantic Tense and Aspect
Form versus Meaning
- Form does not always correspond exactly to meaning.
1. One form may have two meanings
Example #1: Unmarked Habitual aspect in some dialects of English:
III. Semantic Tense and Aspect
Form versus Meaning
- Form does not always correspond exactly to meaning.
1. One form may have two meanings:
Habitual aspect
-- She is (usually/often) late. (habitual: form: is)
-- Today she is late. (singular: form: is)
III. Semantic Tense and Aspect
Form versus Meaning
- Form does not always correspond exactly to meaning.
This is a dialectal phenomenon. In African American English, two forms have distinct meanings:
-- She be late. (=she is usually late.) Habitual
-- She late. (=she is late right now.)
III. Semantic Tense and Aspect
Form versus Meaning
- Form does not always correspond exactly to meaning.
One form, two meanings:
Present tense: present/ future meaning:
Mary likes baseball.
Mary leaves at seven. (future event)
Who is playing at the Paramount next week? (future event)
III. Semantic Tense and Aspect
- Example #3: one meaning, two forms: progressive (Spanish)
1) Juan lee el diario.
(Form: pres. tense, umarked aspect)
Juan reads the newspaper. ( = he is reading it)
2) Juan está leyendo el diario.
(Form: Pres. tense prog. aspect)
Juan is reading the newspaper.
III. Semantic Tense and Aspect
Form versus Meaning
- Why do form and meaning not converge?
- One form may have a range of meanings. Other clues help the speaker decide among the meanings.
III. Semantic Tense and Aspect
Form versus Meaning
- Summary
- Form is not always equivalent to one unique meaning:
- 1. forms may have a range of meanings
- 2. a form may not exist one one dialect (or language)
IV. Future Tense and Modals
A. Future tense: A syntactic tense, not a morphological tense.
- Morphological: usually, using an affix
- Syntactic: using a specific sequence of words
IV. Future Tense and Modals
A. Future tense
- Example:
- Mary leaves at seven. (present tense, future meaning)
- Mary will leave at seven. (Will+verb = syntactic future tense, future meaning)
IV. Future Tense and Modals
B. Modals
- 1. Semantic characteristics: no “dictionary” definitions
- 2. Concepts like volition (will), possibility etc.
- Examples:
- The Mayor may arrive at noon. (possibility)
- Yes, they may leave early. (permission)
IV. Future Tense and Modals
B. Modals
- 3. Morphological characteristics:
- arent inflected for person, number, tense, aspect
- Examples:
- I sing. I may sing.
- He sings. *He mays sing.
IV. Future Tense and Modals
B. Modals
- 4. Semantic tense: do modals have Past/Present value? Yes
- -Modals appear only in Finite clauses (past, present, future)
- [ To play soccer ] is really fun.
- *[To may play soccer] is really fun.
- (Meaning: to be able to play soccer is a pleasure.)
IV. Future Tense and Modals
C. Summary
- 1. Future Tense is formed ‘syntactically’ in English
- 2. Modals are grammatical verbs
- 3. Modals are not inflected for person, number, tense, or aspect.
- 4. Modals have semantic tense.
V. Infinitives: no past/present/future distinction
V. Infinitives: no past/present/future distinction
A. Finite versus non-finite forms of verbs:
- A finite verb “locates” the event in time: past/present/future
- A non-finite verb (infinitive or participle) does NOT locate the event in time.
V. Infinitives: no past/present/future distinction
A. Finite versus infinitive forms of verbs:
Example #1:
Finite: Non-finite:
Lionel traveled to Borneo. [ To travel to Borneo] is not so simple.
V. Infinitives: no past/present/future distinction
A. Finite versus non-finite forms of verbs:
- Example #2: sequences of verbs:
Finite: Non-finite:
- Lionel will travel to Borneo. (to travel)
- Lionel has traveled to Borneo.
(traveled = perf. participle)
- Lionel is traveling to Borneo.
(traveling= prog. Participle)
V. Infinitives: no past/present/future distinction
A. Finite versus non-finite forms of verbs:
- Diagnostic for finite verbs: two possible forms: past or present
V. Infinitives: no past/present/future distinction
B. Diagnostic for finite verbs: two possible forms: past or present
- Examples:
- Lionel has traveled to Borneo.
- Lionel had traveled to Borneo.
- (Lionel will have traveled to Borneo.)
(syntactic tense)
V. Infinitives: no past/present/future distinction
B. Diagnostic for non-finite verbs: cannot have past/present forms
- Examples:
- Lionel has traveled to Borneo.
(Is traveled a finite verb?
- *Lionel has travels to Borneo.
(NO! It cannot be replaced by a tensed form.)
V. Infinitives: no past/present/future distinction
C. Types of non-finite verbs:
- “Bare” infinitives: no affix; without to; occur after modals
- Sue may write the proposal.
- Kim and Allie should watch the World Cup.
V. Infinitives: no past/present/future distinction
C. Types of non-finite verbs:
- “To-” infinitives: no affix; with to; in various subordinate clauses
- [For José to win the race] would be great.
- We prefer [for Mary to win].
V. Infinitives: no past/present/future distinction
C. Types of non-finite verbs:
- Present (progressive) participles: verbs ending in -ing
- Mary is winning the race.
- The guard saw the thief climbing the wall.
V. Infinitives: no past/present/future distinction
C. Types of non-finite verbs:
- “Past” (perfect) participles: forms ending in –ed/-en
- Sue has spoken already.
- [For the committee to have finished the project] is impressive.
V. Infinitives: no past/present/future distinction
D. Summary
1. Finite verbs have past/present (or future) forms. They can replace one another.
2. Non-finite verbs do not have past/present (or future) forms). They cannot be replaced by a past/present (or future) form.
3. Non-finite verbs can be: bare infinitives, marked (to-) infinitives, or participles.