Imparfait and modality

Abstract

This paper proposes a new analysis of the modal value of the French imparfait based on the hypothesis which was made in François Heenen that this tense encodes a procedural meaning. According to the author, the procedure forces the addressee to treat the utterance without making use of the most immediate context. This constraint on inferential operations allows the locutor to communicate thoughts which would not be relevant if they were treated through that immediate context. The analysis emphasizes especially the function of the French imparfait in hypothetical phrases but the explanation should also shed light on other non-standard uses like counterfac- FranÇois Heenen 117 tual imparfait or imparfait of politeness as well as standard use like the back-ground imparfait. Another related topic discussed in this paper is the present value of imparfait in hypothetical phrases. According to the author, this is not due to a complementary link between modality and temporality, as many grammarians and linguists have suggested, but to a case of interpretive use of language.

Keywords: modal use of past tense, French imparfait, Relevance Theory, choice of context.