‘Modal’ uses of the Italian indicativo imperfetto in a pragmatic perspective

Bazzanella, Carla

doi:10.1016/0378-2166(90)90100-r

Cited by 19 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…Counterfactual imperfect has been analyzed in depth in the literature on Italian (see in particular Mazzoleni (1992), Bazzanella (1990), Ronconi (1944-45)) and, mostly, on French (see for instance Bres (2009), Berthonneau andKleiber (2006)). In contrast to competing past tenses, the imperfect is indeed typically described as capable of expressing an event that did not actually occur (not even in a fictional 7.…”

Section: The Counterfactual Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This use is traditionally described as expressing a transition from the real world to irreality (see Bazzanella (1990)). In its oneiric value, the imperfect tense can be used regardless of the aspectual and prospective characterization of an event, and it can express the whole chain of events taking place in a narrated scene.…”

Section: The Oneiric Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…27. Bazzanella (1990) accounts for modal uses of the imperfect in terms of this tense's property of being able to convey the distance along the axis realis/irrealis through pragmatic exploitation of its temporal feature.…”

Section: Interpretation In Terms Of Factual or 'Open' Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…30 28. Bazzanella (1990) and Mazzoleni (1992) talk about an interaction which is still negotiable. 29.…”

Section: Interpretation In Terms Of Factual or 'Open' Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This overview essentially takes into account the descriptions given in the literature on the Italian language -notably those by Bertinetto (1986Bertinetto ( , 1991, Bazzanella (1990), Serianni (1988), Squartini (2001), Mazzoleni (1992), Giacalone Ramat (1999), Lo Duca (1995), Ronconi (1944-45) and Nannoni (2004). The French imperfect has also been a highly debated topic in the last decade, giving rise to rich and fruitful discussion; we have thus chosen to also take into account some of the complex and detailed analyses provided for this typologically close language.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Semantic and pragmatic values of the Italian imperfetto: Towards a common interpretive procedure

Baranzini

Ricci

2015

catjl

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This paper proposes an account of the semantics and pragmatics of the Italian indicative imperfect. This tense is described as deriving all of its uses from an extremely reduced core of semantic features as the point of departure to a series of interpretative paths leading to different contextrelated possible interpretations through a process of pragmatic enrichment. With regard to the temporal parameter, the semantics of the imperfect is described as conveying past temporal reference, with an underdetermined scope. With regard to the aspectual parameter, this tense is defined as not semantically determined at all. Upon pragmatic integration of contextual information, three main classes of meaning effects associated with the imperfect are assumed to emerge: a narrative effect, an evidential effect and an effect of activation of a preliminary phase in relation to the event. Based on the above mentioned features, an overall semantic-pragmatic mapping of the imperfect and of its interpretive procedure is proposed.Keywords: imperfect; Italian; imperfetto; semantics; pragmatic enrichment; modal; evidential; past; reference; contextual interpretation; scope; change. Resum. Valors semàntics i pragmàtics de l'imperfet italià: cap a un procediment interpretatiu comúAquest article dóna compte de la semàntica i la pragmàtica de l'imperfet italià. A la nostra descripció es mostra que aquest temps verbal deriva tots els seus usos d'un nucli extremadament reduït de trets semàntics, que són el punt de partida d'una sèrie de camins interpretatius que ens Tot basant-nos en els trets esmentats, proposem una projecció de l'imperfet i del seu procediment interpretatiu des de la semàntica a la pragmàtica.

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Section: The Counterfactual Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Oneiric Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Interpretation In Terms Of Factual or 'Open' Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…30 28. Bazzanella (1990) and Mazzoleni (1992) talk about an interaction which is still negotiable. 29.…”

Section: Interpretation In Terms Of Factual or 'Open' Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%