The Tense System in English Relative Clauses: A Corpus-Based Analysis (Topics in English Linguistics)

In The Tense System in English Relative Clauses, Depraetere applies Declerck's (1991) theory of tense to the specific syntactic environment of relative clauses (RCs). In carrying out this study, her aim was to confront Declerck's general theory with corpus data as well as to follow up on some of his specific suggestions with regard to differences in tense use between restrictive (RRCs) and non-restrictive relative clauses (NRRCs). The future of English linguistics as envisaged by the editors of Topics in English Linguistics lies in empirical studies, which integrate work in English linguistics into general and theoretical linguistics on the one hand, and comparative linguistics on the other. The TiEL series features volumes that present interesting new data and analyses, and above all fresh approaches that contribute to the overall aim of the series, which is to further outstanding research in English linguistics. For further publications in English linguistics see also our Dialects of English book series. To discuss your book idea or submit a proposal, please contact Natalie Fecher. Introduction 1 Definition of the concepts bounded-unbounded and telic-atelic 2 Declerck (1991a): tense in discourse (part 1) 3 The expression of temporal relations in past sector RCs 4 The expression of (W-)anteriority in pre-present sector RCs 5 The expression of (W-)anteriority and (W-)simultaneity in post-present sector RCs 6 Difference in contextual effects between mutually substitutable verb forms 7 The principle of unmarked temporal interpretation 8 Choice of binding TO in RCs General conclusion Appendix

The future of English linguistics as envisaged by the editors of Topics in English Linguistics lies in empirical studies which integrate work in English linguistics into general and theoretical linguistics on the one hand, and comparative linguistics on the other. The TiEL series features volumes that present interesting new data and analyses, and above all fresh approaches that contribute to the overall aim of the series, which is to further outstanding research in English linguistics.

The concepts (un)boundedness and (a)telicity will prove to be important for explaining the use of tense.