Sentence Semantics 1: Situations

Sentence Semantics 1: Situations

1. Three important dimensions to class a situation.

   • Type
     • A label for the typology of situations encoded in the semantics of a language.
   • Tense
     • Allow a speaker to locate a situation in time relative to the “now” of the act of speaking or writing.
   • Aspect
     • The speaker may choose how to describe the internal temporal nature of the situation.

2. Verbs and situation types

   • Stative verbs
     • describe a situation or process which lasts for a period of time
       • Telic
   • Dynamic verbs
     • an event that seems so instantaneous that it involves no time.
       • One posible distinction within Dynamic situation types, is between events and processes.
         • Atelic

3. Past Events as Present Tense

   • Perfectives
     • Views a situation externally, from outside
   • Imperfectives
     • Allows the viewing of situation for within, making explicit reference to the internal temporal structure

4. Modality

   • A cover term for devices which allow speakers to express varying degrees of commitment.
   • allow speakers to modulate this guarantee

5. Mood

   • Adverbs and modal verbs are marked by verbs endings which from distinct conjugations