Travelling in time with natural language: Some cross-linguistic considerations

Ana Muller; Marta Donazzan

doi:10.22409/gragoata.v29i64.60553.en

Authors

Ana Muller Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Linguística. São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Marta Donazzan LLING – Laboratoire de Linguistique de Nantes (UMR 6310), CNRS & Nantes Université. Nantes, France

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22409/gragoata.v29i64.60553.en

Keywords:

reference time, indigenous languages, temporal clauses, cross-linguistic variation, before, after

Abstract

This paper investigates the grammatical strategies deployed by natural languages in order to express temporal reference. We show that temporal reference is obtained by combining a finite set of pieces of meaning which are constrained by the metaphysics of natural language (BACH 1986) and which languages distribute differently across functional categories. The paper discusses more specifically temporal adverbial clauses that express the meanings of anteriority and posteriority with respect to some reference time. We consider a relevant set of languages that make use of different strategies in order to generate these meanings, and conclude that the tools that languages may deploy are of a limited number, and include tense, aspect and temporal connectives.

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Author Biography

Marta Donazzan, LLING – Laboratoire de Linguistique de Nantes (UMR 6310), CNRS & Nantes Université. Nantes, France

Sou graduada em Física pela Universidade de São Paulo (1985), possuo mestrado em Letras pela Universidade Federal do Paraná (1989) e doutorado em Linguística pela Universidade Estadual de Campinas (1997). Defendi minha livre-docência em 2015. Realizei estágios de pós-doutorado na Universidade de Massachusetts (2000) e na Universidade de Paris 8 (2018). Fui visitante na Universidade de British Columbia (2005), na Universidade de Paris 8 (2009), na Universidade de Paris 7 (2010 e 2012) e na Universidade Hebraica de Jerusalem (2013 e 2014).Desde 1998 sou docente do Depto. de Linguística da Universidade de São Paulo. Tornei-me Professora Titular em 2023. Atuo nas seguintes áreas: semântica formal, semântica de línguas indígenas brasileiras e semântica e ensino.

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