Minigrammars for Time Expressions in English (Construction Grammar Light) C.J.Fillmore.
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Transcript of Minigrammars for Time Expressions in English (Construction Grammar Light) C.J.Fillmore.
Minigrammars forTime Expressions
in English
(Construction Grammar Light)
C.J.Fillmore
OR: pity the poor language learner
We seek precise ways of characterizing the structure and meaning of words and phrases that provide temporal modifiers of event clauses.
In this presentation the grammatical part of the descriptions will specify only the constituency and the semantic requirements on the constituents. Real construction grammar, of course, would also have to supply details on the relevant syntactic properties.
Two Types of Time Expressions
Semantically defined:
• 1. “Vector” Construction(expressing directed distance in time from some temporal reference point)
• 2. Calendar Unit Constructions(locating the time of an event within some “calendric” period)
Vector Construction
• Locating a Target(in our case, the time of an event)
• at a Distance(distance in time)
• in a Direction from (before or after)
• some Landmark(event or date or other relevant reference point)
Landmark
Distance
DirectionTarget
Landmark
Distance
DirectionTarget
two years before Beethoven was born
Landmark
Distance
DirectionTarget
two years before Beethoven was born
Landmark
Distance
DirectionTarget
two years before Beethoven was born
Landmark
Distance
DirectionTarget
two years before Beethoven was born
But first:Some needed concepts.
Concepts for Temporal Expressions
• deictic TODAY, NOW, THIS YEAR
Anchored in the moment of speaking,the “now”. Today is the calendar daycontaining “now”; two minutes ago istwo minutes before “now”.
Concepts for Temporal Expressions
• deictic today, now, this year• anaphoric THE NEXT DAY, AFTER THAT
Anchored to temporal references in theongoing discourse. “I met Julie at your. graduation party. The next day she asked me out.”
Concepts for Temporal Expressions
• deictic today, now, this year
• anaphoric the next day, after that
• absolute ON APRIL 2, 1928
Anchored in time reckoning established by some real-world institution. “We are now in 5766.”
Concepts for Temporal Expressions
• deictic today, now, this year
• anaphoric the next day, after that
• absolute on April 2, 1928• existential ONE FINE DAY, ONCE
Unanchored time reference.
Concepts for Temporal Expressions
• deictic today, now, this year
• anaphoric the next day, after that
• absolute on April 2, 1928
• existential one fine day, once• generic ON FRIDAYS, NIGHTS
Of events associated with recurrenttime periods.
There’s More.
Types of Time Period Words
• metric unit year (time extent)
• calendric unit year (calendar period)
• divisions Monday; spring; May
• recurrences Christmas; birthday
VECTORDomain: [ ]Location of Target:[at Distance: [ ],in Direction: [ ],from Landmark: [ ]]
Text: [ ]
VECTORDomain: [ ]Location of Target:[at Distance: [ ],in Direction: [ ],from Landmark: [ ]]
Text: [ ]The “Text” field isthe location of the word or phrase being described.
This informationneeds to bespecified for avector time expression.
VECTORDomain: [ ]Location of Target:[at Distance: [ ],in Direction: [ ],from Landmark: [ ]]
Text: [ ]
For time expressions,the “Domain” istime; the associatedgrammar is also foundwith other domains.
It’s possible for a single word to specify all such information.
VECTORDomain: [ ]Location of Target:[at Distance: [ ],in Direction: [ ],from Landmark: [ ]]
Text: [ ]
VECTORDomain: [time]Location of Target:[at Distance: [short],in Direction: [before],from Landmark: [prag or now]]
Text: [recently]
VECTORDomain: [time]Location of Target:[at Distance: [short],in Direction: [after],from Landmark: [prag or now]]
Text: [soon]
“prag” versus “now”
• If the landmark (LM) is identified as now, that refers to the time of speaking.
• If the LM is identified as prag, that means it is the narrative time given in the context.
• The words recently and soon allow the LM to be either prag or now.
Landmark as “prag” or “now”
• Your brother was here recently. (LM=now)
• He had recently remarried. (LM=prag)
• She’ll be here soon. (LM=now)
• She would soon understand it. (LM=prag)
Phrasal Versions
In a common phrasal version, the information is presented in two parts:
LEFT
Distance
RIGHT
Direction & Landmark
VECTORDomain: #1[ ]Location of Target:[at Distance: #2[ ],in Direction: #3[ ],from Landmark: #4[ ]]
DISTANCEDomain: #1[ ]Distance: #2[ ]]
Text: [ ]
DIRECTION & LANDMARKDomain: #1[ ]Direction & Landmark:[Direction: #3[ ],Landmark: #4[ ]]
Text: [ ]
Unification Indices
The unification indices (“#1”, etc.) show how information (i.e., values of particular attributes) introduced by the parts is transmitted to the whole.
VECTORDomain: #1[ ]Location of Target:[at Distance: #2[ ],in Direction: #3[ ],from Landmark: #4[ ]]
DISTANCEDomain: #1[ ]Distance: #2[ ]]Text: [ ]
DIRECTION & LANDMARKDomain: #1[ ]Direction & Landmark:[Direction: #3[ ],Landmark: #4[ ]]Text: [ ]
VECTORDomain: #1[ ]Location of Target:[at Distance: #2[ ],in Direction: #3[ ],from Landmark: #4[ ]]
DISTANCEDomain: #1[ ]Distance: #2[ ]]
Text: [ ]
DIRECTION & LANDMARKDomain: #1[ ]Direction & Landmark:[Direction: #3[ ],Landmark: #4[ ]]
Text: [ ]
Simplest two-part version
Either of the two constituents can be expressed as one word. (The word long, but not short, can express a temporal extent.)
VECTORDomain: #1[time]Location of Target:[at Distance: #2[great],in Direction: #3[before],from Landmark: #4[now]]
DISTANCEDomain: #1[time]Distance: #2[great]]
Text: [long]
DIRECTION & LANDMARKDomain: #1[time]Direction & Landmark:[Direction: #3[before],Landmark: #4[now]]
Text: [ago]
Complex Phrases
And either part can be expressed as a phrase.
Begin with the “Distance” part.
VECTORDomain: #1[ ]Location of Target:[at Distance: #2[ ],in Direction: #3[ ],from Landmark: #4[ ]]
DISTANCEDomain: #1[ ]Distance: #2[ ]]
Text: [ ]
DIRECTION & LANDMARKDomain: #1[ ]Direction & Landmark:[Direction: #3[ ],Landmark: #4[ ]]
Text: [ ]
Phrasal Structure for Distance
As a Quantity of Units:
three days
seven years
several hours
Notice: Quantity expressions do not require Domain specification; quantity expressions can themselves be complex: a few, thirty seven, a great many, …
DISTANCEDomain: #1[ ]Distance: [Units: #2[ ], Quantity: #3[ ]]QUANTITY
Quantity: #3[ ]
Text: [ ]
UNITSDomain: #1[ ]Unit: #2[ ]]
Text: [ ]
DISTANCEDomain: #1[time]Distance: [Units: #2[day], Quantity: #3[3]]QUANTITY
Quantity: #3[3]
Text: [three]
UNITSDomain: #1[time]Units: #2[day]]
Text: [days]
VECTORDomain: #1[ ]Location of Target:[at Distance: #2[ ],in Direction: #3[ ],from Landmark: #4[ ]]
DISTANCEDomain: #1[ ]Distance: #2[ ]]
Text: [ ]
DIRECTION & LANDMARKDomain: #1[ ]Direction & Landmark:[Direction: #3[ ],Landmark: #4[ ]]
Text: [ ]
Phrasal Structure for Direction From Landmark
In which the Direction and Landmark are introduced as separate constituents.
DIRECTION & LANDMARKDomain: #1[ ]Direction & Landmark: [Direction: #2[ ], Landmark: #3[ ]]
DIRECTIONDomain: #1[ ]Direction: #2[ ]
Text: [ ]
LANDMARKDomain: #1[ ]Landmark: #3[ ]
Text: [ ]
DIRECTION & LANDMARKDomain: #1[time]Direction & Landmark: [Direction: #2[before] ], Landmark:#3[Christmas]] DIRECTIONDomain: #1[time]Direction: #2[before]
Text: [before]
LANDMARKDomain: #1[time]Landmark: #3[Christmas]
Text: [Christmas]
Landmark Syntax
The Landmark can be realized:
- as a NP
three days after my arrival in Geneva
- as a Gerund
three days after arriving in Geneva
- as a Clause
three days after I arrived in Geneva
Four-Part Tree Structure for Phrasal VersionsVector Expression
Distance Direction & Landmark
Quantity Units Direction Landmark
This structure is more general than what we need for temporal
expressions.
Vector Expression
Distance Direction & Landmark
Quantity Units Direction Landmark
twenty miles north of Berkeley
ten degrees warmer than Tokyo
30,000 feet above us
20 IQ points smarter than Chuck
two hours earlier [implicit]
Properties of the Construction• ‘direction’ is the head
• unification of ‘domain’ features (time, space, temperature, intelligence, etc.)
• for each head, obligatory vs. optional status of (1) Distance, (2) Landmark is specified
ago, hence : + Dist. LM implicit
before, after: Dist. LM
from: + Dist. + LM
All of this fits “standard” X-bar structure
X’’
X’
Spec-X X Complement
This is one of those disappearing constructions.
Transition
• The preceding structures can be easily reconciled with general features of the rest of the grammar of English, as long as we make good use of special lexical constraints.
• Can we be so lucky with the next phenomena?
Location in Calendar Units and Calendar Sub-Units
• CU’s repeat: when one ends, another unit of the same type begins. millennium, century, decade, year, month, week, day, hour
• CSU’s appear in chains: MTWTFSS;JFMAMJJASOND; SpSuAuWi; MAEN
TIME IN CALENDAR UNITLocation of Temporal Target:[CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [ ];CU-1 REL: [ ] CU-2;CUTYPE: [ ]]
Text: [ ]
CU Type: month, year, week, etc.Relation: precedes, follows, is_identical_to
TIME IN CALENDAR UNITLocation of Temporal Target:[CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [ ];CU-1 REL: [ ] CU-2;CUTYPE: [ ]]
Text: [ ]
Single-word Fillers
These are all deictic expressions, withLM = “now”.
TIME IN CALENDAR UNITLocation of Temporal Target:[CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [now];CU-1 REL: [identical to] CU-2;CUTYPE: [day]]
Text: [today]
TIME IN CALENDAR UNITLocation of Temporal Target:[CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [now];CU-1 REL: [precedes] CU-2;CUTYPE: [day]]
Text: [yesterday]
TIME IN CALENDAR UNITLocation of Temporal Target:[CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [now];CU-1 REL [follows] CU-2;CUTYPE: [day]]
Text: [tomorrow]
Notice
that the relations between CU-1 and CU-2 may be same, precedes, or follows.
TIME IN CALENDAR UNITLocation of Temporal Target:[CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [now];CU-1 REL: [identical to] CU-2;CUTYPE: [day]]
Text: [today]
TIME IN CALENDAR UNITLocation of Temporal Target:[CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [now];CU-1 REL: [precedes] CU-2;CUTYPE: [day]]
Text: [yesterday]
TIME IN CALENDAR UNITLocation of Temporal Target:[CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [now];CU-1 REL [follows] CU-2;CUTYPE: [day]]
Text: [tomorrow]
Phrasal Versions
Then there are phrasal versions
in which the first constituent is a selection from the words last, this, or next
Newly invented lexical category: “LTN”
TIME IN CALENDAR UNITDomain: [time]Location of Temporal Target:[CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [now ];CU-1 REL #2[ ] CU-2;CUTYPE: #4[ ]]
LTNDomain: [time]REL: #2[ ]
Text: [ ]
CALENDAR UNITDomain: [time]Calendar Unit:: #4[ ]
Text: [ ]
TIME IN CALENDAR UNITDomain: [time]Location of Temporal Target:[CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [now ];CU-1 REL #2[follows] CU-2;CUTYPE: #4[year]]
LTNDomain: [time]REL: #2[follows]
Text: [next]
CALENDAR UNITDomain: [time]Calendar Unit:: #4[year]
Text: [year]
LTNDomain: [time]REL: [follows]
Text: [next]
LTNDomain: [time]REL: [is identical to]
Text: [this]
LTNDomain: [time]REL: [precedes]
Text: [last]
Temporal Location in Calendar Sub-Units
CU’s connected with CSU’s
Year: Month Names; Season Names
Week: Weekday Names
Day: Day Part Names
TIME IN CALENDAR SUBUNITDomain: [time]Location of Temporal Target:[CSU: [ ] includes Target;CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [now ];CU-1 REL: [ ] CU-2;CUTYPE: [ ]]
Text: [ ]
Lexical Filler
(There’s only one.)
TIME IN CALENDAR SUBUNITDomain: [time]Location of Temporal Target:[CSU: [night] includes Target;CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [now];CU-1 REL: [identical to] CU-2;CUTYPE: [day]]
Text: [tonight]
Paraphrased:
If something happens tonight, it happens during the night of the day which includes “now”.
Phrasal Expansion
LTN word followed by a CSU name.
TIME IN CALENDAR SUBUNITDomain: [time]Location of Temporal Target:[CSU #1[ ] includes Target;CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [now ];CU-1 REL #2[ ] CU-2;CUTYPE: #3[ ]]
LTNDomain: [time]REL: #2[ ]
Text: [ ]
CALENDAR SUBUNITDomain: [time]Calendar Subunit: #1[ ]Calendar Unit: #3[ ]
Text: [ ]
TIME IN CALENDAR SUBUNITDomain: [time]Location of Temporal Target:[CSU #1[spring] includes Target;CU-1 includes Target; CU-2 includes Landmark: [now ];CU-1 REL #2[precedes] CU-2;CUTYPE: #3[year]]
LTNDomain: [time]REL:#2[precedes]
Text: [last]
CALENDAR SUBUNITDomain: [time]Calendar Subunit: #1[spring]Calendar Unit: #3[year]
Text: [spring]
Examples
• this April, last March, next October
• last spring, next fall, this summer
• last opera season, next football season
• this Tuesday, last Friday, next Thursday
• this morning, this afternoon, this evening, last night
Examples
• this April, last March, next October
• last spring, next fall, this summer
• last opera season, next football season
• this Tuesday, last Friday, next Thursday
• this morning, this afternoon, this evening, last night
BUT NOT: last M, A, E, next M, A, E, N
DAY cooperates, but only for the central deictic DAY, and that only
partly.
A New Construction
• involving DayNames and DayPartNames
• including Weekday Names and Deictic DayNames.
• Monday morning, tomorrow afternoon, etc.
DAY + DAYPARTDomain: [time]Target Location: [DayPart #2[ ] of Day #1[ ]]DAY
DayName: #1[ ]
Text: [ ]
DAYPARTDayPart: #2[ ]
Text: [ ]
DAY + DAYPARTDomain: [time]Target Location: [DayPart #2[ ] of Day #1[ ]]
DAYDayName: #1[Wednesday]
Text: [Wednesday]
DAYPARTDayPart: #2[morning]
Text: [morning]
What pre-empts what?
• For naming deictic periods, the lexicalization TODAY pre-empts *THIS DAY.
• For naming deictic dayparts, THIS MORNING
pre-empts *TODAY MORNING.
• The LTN pattern is pre-empted by lexicalizations for the DAY units; but the LTN pattern in turn pre-empts the lexicalizations for TODAY in CSU naming..
Encoding Perspective
We take the encoding perspective when we consider the meaning and ask about the manner of expressing it.
todayyesterday tomorrow
thisCU
lastCU
nextCU
works for everything but DAY
todayCSU
yesterdayCSU
tomorrowCSU
thisCSU
lastCSU
nextCSU
works for everything but TODAY
but . . . last night (*yesterday night) and tonight (*this night)
the CU before last
last CU this CU next CU the CU after next
the day
before
yesterday
yesterday today tomorrow the day after tomorrow
MAEN MAEN MAEN MAEN MAEN
single wordLTN
DN+DPN
THE DPN of DAY
So far we’ve only asked what these time-locating expressions mean.
Now we have to ask how they show up in English sentences as temporal modifiers.
How does the grammar use these expressions?
How do these expressions appear as temporal adverbials?
(How are they marked?)
no preposition preposition IN
preposition ON preposition AT
Some have no preposition
TODAY, YESTERDAY, TOMORROW
THIS WEEK, NEXT YEAR, LAST SUMMER
YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, TOMORROW MORNING
(all those that are anchored in ‘now’)
IN generally selects Periods
IN THE MORNING
IN AUGUST
IN 1929
AT generally selects “points”
AT MIDNIGHT, AT NOON
AT DAWN, AT DAYBREAK
Exception: AT NIGHT
DAY has its own private preposition: ON
(As everybody who studies English has to learn.)
ON WEDNESDAY
ON THE NEXT DAY
ON THANKSGIVING DAY
Prepositional Marking, cont’d
Deictic day names
stand alone
*(on) today,
*(on) yesterday,
*(on) tomorrow
Weekday names
allow but do not require
prepositions (U.S. Eng.)
(on) Monday,
(on) Tuesday
But . . .
IN the morning (day-part name)
ON Tuesday (day name)
ON Tuesday morning
What is the structure of these compounds? What’s the “head”?
yesterday afternoon
tomorrow night
Tuesday morning
Thursday evening
Friday afternoon
etc.
Evidence that DN is the head.
• YESTERDAY and TOMORROW can stand alone; so can YESTERDAY MORNING, TOMORROW
AFTERNOON, etc.• THURSDAY, FRIDAY, etc., can either stand
alone or take prepositional marking; the same with THURSDAY MORNING, FRIDAY
AFTERNOON, etc.• The preposition, for these, is ON, not IN.
But . . .
There are cases in which the Day-Part name is clearly the syntactic head, and you still get the preposition ON .
IN the morning
ON the morning of the next day
ON the afternoon of October 14
ON the evening of November 1, 2000
Furthermore, ...
• Modifiers like EARLY and LATE modify the day-part, not the day.
LATE THURSDAY MORNING
(not ‘late Thursday’ but ‘late morning’)EARLY TOMORROW EVENING
(not ‘early tomorrow’ but ‘early evening’)
From the BNC, with ON
[On the night before],
[On the afternoon of Saturday, 27 July],
[On the night of the full moon],
[On the morning of our departure],
[On the morning of Dobson’s funeral],
[On the night of the fatal attack],
From the BNC, with IN
[In the morning] they found him dead
[In the afternoon] he starts by sleeping
[In the morning] Lucy feigned sleep
[In the morning] Cameron fell exhausted
[In the morning] he awoke to find Amanda
[In the afternoon] breakfasts may be classical
Apparent Counter-example
on the morning of the next day
in the morning on the next day
Constituent Structure?
on the morning of the next day
[on [the morning [of the next day]]]
in the morning on the next day
[in the morning] [on the next day]
THE – THIS – THAT
THIS MORNING
IN THE MORNING
ON THAT MORNING
no preposition
preposition IN
preposition ON
(typically)
IN and ON with DAYS (plural)
IN coerces a time-span interpretation
IN THOSE DAYS WE WORE OUR HAIR LONG.
?IN EVEN-NUMBERED DAYS WE WENT TO THE GYM.
ON individuates the identified days
?ON THOSE DAYS WE WORE OUR HAIR LONG.
ON EVEN-NUMBERED DAYS WE WENT TO THE GYM.
Ignored Issues
prag-anchored “LTN” typesthe preceding day, that week, the following year
Hard vs. soft preemptions*next day, tomorrow; last night, *yesterday night; *this night, tonight
Clause position of temp adverbshe was recently/*yesterday here, she will soon/*tomorrow be here
Straddling CSUswinter and night
Ambiguities of “next” and “last”next Friday: the upcoming Friday or the Friday of next week
Summary Observations
The Vector construction is a normal part of “core” grammar, following general X-bar structure: [Spec [Head Comp]]
Calendric unit expressions require special dedicated constructions just for these purposes, exhibit complex “pre-emptions”.
Many aspects of the system reveal special constructional privileges of the category ‘day’.