Mental Spaces in Grammar: Conditional

Conditional constructions have long fascinated linguists, grammarians and philosophers. In this pioneering new study, Barbara Dancygier and Eve Sweetser offer a new descriptive framework for the study of conditionality, broadening the range of richly described conditional constructions. They explore theoretical issues such as the mental-space-building processes underlying conditional thinking and the form-meaning relationship involved in expressing conditionality. Using a broad range of attested English conditional constructions, the book examines inter-constructional relationships. Within the framework of Mental Spaces Theory, shared parameters of meaning are shown to be relevant to conditional constructions generally, as well as related temporal and causal constructions. This significant contribution to the field will be welcomed by a wide range of researchers in theoretical and cognitive linguistics.

Acknowledgments

xii

Preface

xv

Note on abbreviated citations

xvii

The door-scraper in the Wild Wood: an informal lesson in frame metonymy

1

(268)

1 Conditional constructions, mental spaces, and semantic compositionality

4

(24)

1.1 Conditionals and conditional reasoning

4

(5)

1.2 Constructional meaning and compositionality

9

(7)

1.3 Mental spaces and constructions

16

(5)

1.4 A word about our data and methods

21

(3)

1.5 The grammatical "door-scraper": compositionality and frames

24

(3)

1.6 Where we're headed

27

(1)

2 Prediction, alternativity, and epistemic stance

28

(28)

2.1 Conditionals and mental-space set-ups

28

(3)

2.2 Prediction and reasoning

31

(4)

2.3 Alternativity and "biconditional" interpretation

35

(8)

2.4 Prediction and epistemic stance: background and backshifting

43

(2)

2.5 Epistemic stance and mental-space set-ups

45

(9)

2.6 Conclusions

54

(2)

3 Tense, epistemic distance, and embedded spaces

56

(24)

3.1 The polysemy of past-tense forms

56

(1)

3.2 Epistemic distance

57

(4)

3.3 Degrees of distancing

61

(4)

3.4 Perspective and mental-space embeddings

65

(6)

3.5 Counterfactuality: distance and mental-space embeddings

71

(7)

3.6 Conclusions

78

(2)

4 Future and present forms in conditional constructions

80

(30)

4.1 Verb forms and constructional meaning

80

(1)

4.2 Will futures and gonna futures

81

(2)

4.3 Positive-interest will

83

(4)

4.4 Future will in protases of non-predictive conditionals

87

(2)

4.5 Present forms with future meaning

89

(6)

4.6 Generic meanings

95

(7)

4.7 Definitions and tautologies

102

(3)

4.8 Specialized constructions with was to /were to, if not for, and should

105

(3)

4.9 Conclusions

108

(2)

5 Non-alternatives and alternatives: mental spaces in different domains

110

(32)

5.1 Non-prediction and non-alternativity

110

(3)

5.2 Speech-act conditionals

113

(4)

5.3 Epistemic conditionals, inference, and causality

117

(4)

5.4 Non-predictiveness and verb forms

121

(3)

5.5 Predictive epistemic conditionals

124

(2)

5.6 Metalinguistic conditionals: predictive and non-predictive uses

126

(6)

5.7 A note on meta-metaphorical conditionals

132

(4)

5.8 Metaspatial conditionals

136

(1)

5.9 A note on frequency

137

(2)

5.10 Evidence from German parallels

139

(1)

5.11 Conclusions

140

(2)

6 Then and even if mental-space deixis and referential uniqueness

142

(30)

6.1 Then and biconditionality: what is the link?

142

(2)

6.2 Deictic semantics and mental-space reference

144

(2)

6.3 Then in non-predictives

146

(5)

6.4 Then and generic conditionals

151

(4)

6.5 Concessive conditionals: prediction without specific alternatives

155

(6)

6.6 Even if and then: the exceptions that prove the rule

161

(7)

6.7 A final note on even then

168

(2)

6.8 Conclusions

170

(2)

7 Clause order and space building: if, because, unless, and except if

172

(32)

7.1 Introduction

172

(1)

7.2 If-constructions: variation in intonation and order of clauses

173

(7)

7.3 Because and since: causal explanation and information structure in space building

180

(3)

7.4 Unless: exceptive space building

183

(4)

7.5 Embedded constructions with unless

187

(15)

7.6 Conclusions

202

(2)

8 Uniqueness and negative stance: only if and if only

204

(33)

8.1 Only if space uniqueness and negative meaning

204

(7)

8.2 If only: wishes, pragmatic scales, and minimal differences

211

(6)

8.3 Monoclausal if-only wishes

217

(3)

8.4 Tense and epistemic stance in embedded wish- and if-only clauses

220

(2)

8.5 Then in if-only conditionals

222

(1)

8.6 Scopal relations, polysemy, and compositionality

223

(4)

8.7 Negative epistemic stance and space-builders

227

(3)

8.8 The if that NEG construction

230

(3)

8.9 Positive-stance if-only?

233

(3)

8.10 Conclusions

236

(1)

9 Coordinate constructions and conditional meaning

237

(32)

9.1 And-conjuncts as predictive conditionals

237

(5)

9.2 Imperative and-conditionals

242

(4)

9.3 Distancing, non-predictives, and other extensions of and-conditionals

246

(2)

9.4 Conditional or

248

(5)

9.5 Non-clausal P constituents in coordinate conditionals

253

(2)

9.6 Paired constituents with no conjunction

255

(4)

9.7 Non-clausal coordinate conditionals without conjunctions

259

(4)

9.8 "Freestanding" parts of conditionals

263

(3)

9.9 Conclusions: constructions and compositionality

266

(3)

10 The door-scraper in the Wild Wood: conditional constructions and frame-based space building

269

(9)

10.1 Form-function parameters of conditionality

269

(3)

10.2 Constructional compositionality and frame-based space building

272

(6)

References

278

(11)

Author index

289

(2)

Subject index

291

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Mental Spaces in Grammar: Conditional Constructions

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Table of Contents

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