Aspectual requirements of temporal connectives: Evidence for a two-level approach to semantics

Abstract

This paper argues for a two-level theory of semantics as opposed to a one-level theory, based on the example of the system of temporal and durational connectives. Instead of identifying the semantics of lexical items and larger constituents with conceptual structures, the two-level theory assumes that there is an intra-linguistic level of abstract semantic representations distinct from the extra-linguistic level of conceptual representations. It is argued that the two-level theory can give a more appropriate treatment of polysemy as well as a better account of the conditions under which connectives may (more or less) be felicitously combined with complement expressions which do not respect the aspectual requirements of the connectives.