Universität Konstanz
Fachbereich Sprachwissenschaft

Course Description

This seminar will be concerned with the semantics of tense. The main question is how morphological tense is interpreted in matrix and embedded clauses of different types, paying close attention to sequence of tense phenomena (consecutio temporum) and the interaction between temporal binding and scope. Further, it will be investigated how the meaning of tense combines compositionally with temporal modifiers and modal elements.

Termin und Raum: Mittwoch 10-12 Uhr, G307

Sprache: Englisch

Semester plan: Syllabus

Slides & Handouts

Note: For readings available in the electronic Semesterapparat, click here.

22.10.2008	Tense: Introduction. (See latest version below.) Heim's lecture notes on Tense: in the electronic Semesterapparat.
29.10.2008	Tense: Introduction. (See latest version below.) We continue with Heim's lecture notes on Tense (available in the electronic Semesterapparat). Tense exercises by Doris Penka.
05.11.2008	Tense: Introduction (see latest version below). We continue with Heim's lecture notes on Tense (available in the electronic Semesterapparat).
12.11.2008	Tense: Introduction (see latest version below). Today we deal with prepositional temporal adjuncts, after-clauses and before-clauses.
19.11.2008	Tense: Introduction (see latest version below). We continue with before-clauses, while, during, etc.
26.11.2008	Before-clauses and after-clauses in Japanese and Russian.
3.12.2008	Tense: Introduction (see latest version below). Before-clauses and after-clauses in English. Phrasal after / before.
10.12.2008	Tense: Introduction (see latest version below). Before-clauses and after-clauses according to Anscombe and to Heinamaki.
17.12.2008	Tense: Introduction (see latest version below). Tense in Relatives Clauses crosslinguistically.
7.1.2009	Tense in complement clauses. Lectures notes Tense: Introduction. Handout Tense under attittudes, Part I. See new version below.
14.1.2009	Tense in complement clauses. Handout Tense under attittudes, Part I, adding some more detail to some parts of the lecture notes.
21.1.2009	Tense in complement clauses. Handout Tense under attittudes, Part II.
28.1.2009	Maribel ist in einer Dienstreise.
4.2.2009	Tense in complement clauses. Link to Gennari, S. (2003), Tense meaning and temporal interpretation, Journal of Semantics 20:35-71. Handout A uniform treatment of tense under attitudes (Gennari 2003).
11.2.2009	Times amd worlds. Percus, O. 2000. Constraints on some other variables in syntax, Natural Language Semantics 8:173-229. To be presented by Marc Novel.