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). List of abbreviations Introduction Chapter 1. Definition of the concepts bounded-unbounded and telic-atelic 1.1. Definition 1.2. Tests to distinguish unboundedness from boundedness and atelicity from telicity 1.3. Factors influencing (un)boundedness and (a)telicity 1.4. Zero-boundedness and zero-telicity 1.5. Left boundedness and right boundedness 1.6. General conclusion Chapter 2. Declerck (1991a): tense in discourse (part 1) 2.1. Declerck (1991a): basic concepts 2.2. Methodology and aim Chapter 3. The expression of temporal relations in past sector RCs 3.1. Introduction 3.2. (W-)anteriority in past sector (N)RRCs 3.3. Simultaneity in past sector (N)RRCs: relative and absolute past tenses? 3.4. W-posteriority in past sector (N)RRCs 3.5. General conclusion Chapter 4. The expression of (W-)anteriority in pre-present sector RCs 4.1. The use of tense in the pre-present sector RCs: Declerck (1991a) 4.2. Constraints on the expression of (W-)anteriority in pre-present sector RCs 4.3. The tense system in the pre-present sector: some modifications 4.4. RRCs and NRRCs: different tense system? 4.5. General conclusion Chapter 5. The expression of (W-)anteriority and (W-)simultaneity in post- present sector RCs 5.1. The use of tense in the post-present sector: Declerck (1991a) 5.2. RRCs vs. NRRCs: different tense system? 5.3. Factors determining interpretation of verb forms in RRCs 5.4. General conclusion Chapter 6. Difference in contextual effects between mutually substitutable verb forms 6.1. General procedure vs. implementation of general procedure 6.2. Prediction vs. fact 6.3. Explicit location in time – explicit indication of temporal relation 6.4. Resultativeness 6.5. Gradual development vs. quick succession 6.6. Recent vs. distant situation Chapter 7. The principle of unmarked temporal interpretation 7.1. Introduction 7.2. The PUTI (Declerck 1991a): theory 7.3. The PUTI in other works 7.4. The PUTI for embedded clauses (Declerck 1991a): examples 7.5. The PUTI ((a)-part) and RCs 7.6. General conclusion Chapter 8. Choice of binding TO in RCs 8.1. TO for (N)RRC situations 8.2. (In)direct binding in (N)RRCs General conclusion Appendix Notes References Index 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.

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.