That situation whose aspectual character is encoded by the auxiliary head of a construction expressing phasal aspect. The temporal boundaries of this situation are defined with respect to that situation denoted by the participial complement. For example, in a progressive sentence like I am finishing my project, the denoted situation is stative, as indicated by the stative feature of the auxiliary head be; this situation is defined as being included within that situation denoted by the participial VP (finishing my project). (Chapters 1 and 2. )
Distality link.
A means of representing, in an inheritance network, the semantic extension whereby exponents of past-time reference come to indicate that the speaker is investing a low degree of certainty or confidence in the expressed content or that the speaker views the denoted situation as nonactual. (Chapter 4. )
Distributive property.
See Subinterval property.
Durational adverb.
An adverbial expression which denotes a minimal or maximal time span during which a situation went on. These expressions contain a prepositional head and a complement denoting an interval. There are two types of durational adverbs: those which co-occur with state predications (headed by the preposition for) and those which co-occur with event predications (headed by in). (Chapters 1 and 4. )
During-e.
A state-type predicate used to represent the situation denoted by progressive-form sentences. (Chapter 2. )
Epistemic distance.
A grammatically conveyed stance toward some propositional material. In the case of hypothetical conditionals, the degree of epistemic distance conveyed correlates with the speaker’s degree of certainty that some event will come about. In the case of counterfactual conditionals, the distal stance is equivalent to a judgement that the denoted situation is nonactual. (Chapter 4. )
Event.
A situation which involves change over time and/or which has salient points of inception and termination. (Chapter 1. )
Event-type predicate.
A predicate used in formal semantic representation to express the kind of event at issue. The event-type predicate represents a tenseless proposition; it is predicated of an event variable. (Chapter 1. )
Event time.
The time at which an event occurred or during which a state went on. (Chapter 4. )
Event variable.
A constant (e) used to represent an event. (Chapter 1. )
Existential perfect.
That reading of the perfect construction which denotes an event that occurred one or more times prior to reference time.
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Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication Information: Book Title: Aspectual Grammar and Past-Time Reference. Contributors: Laura A. Michaelis - author. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: London. Publication Year: 1998. Page Number: xiii.
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