[lit-ideas] Down-bedding (Was: Geary's Syntax)
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 11:31:25 EDT
Prof. Paul: "Embedded"
Geary: "Bedded down."
Geary writes:
"I've heard it said somewhere that the Quakers in Pennsylvania would hire
non-Quakers to protect them from Indians (kill them, that is) much as
Renaissance
Catholic rulers hired Jews to do their banking. Is this true?"
It's amazing how right the late professor of philosophy Donald Davidson was
about this.
The 'this' (in 'Is this true?') does not anaphorically refer to the main
clause ("I've heard it said somewhere that..."), but goes on intraphorically to
refer to the _embedded_ clause directly ("The Quakers in Pennsylvania would
hire..." -- or "The Quakers in Pennsylvania DID hire", for how could something
expressed in 'would' could EVER be true?).
Cross-Ling.: In Tamil, such tags -- "is this true?" -- would _always_ be
interpreted exophorically:
A: I've heard it said somewhere she's dead. Is it true?
B: I suppose so, but it's really up to you to know what
you've heard or what you have _not_ heard, right?
I'm not sure about other foreign languages, though.
Cheers,
JL
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