The Merging of Time and Modality:Evidence from the Epistemic Function of English Past Tense
According to Einstein's theory of relativity,time is not an absolute concept but a subjective illusion induced by the observer's state of mind.This subjective nature of time perception and conceptualization is crucial for the polysemy and subjectivity of tense.Since the grounding of events by tense depends on the relationship between the content of the utterance and the viewpoint of the speaker in the speech situation,the semantics of tense is of both time and modality,or even more radically,more of modality than of time.This paper examines the merging of time and modality of the English past tense which is polysemous,thereby confirming the view that the dynamic interaction of syntax and semantics results from the temporality inherent in the utterance.This research also helps to illuminate the modal particles'function of sentence completion in Chinese.
万方数据
