Semantic Analogy between Tense and Indefinite NPs

This paper argues that there is an analogy between the interpretation of indefinite NPs and that of tense because just as indefinites are interpreted referentially or non-referentially, so is tense, and that tense can be semantically treated in much the same way the indefinite NPs are. The crucial factor in determining whether an indefinite NP receives a referential and a non-referential reading is the availability of presupposition that there is an individual the speaker has in her mind at the utterance time who is picked out by that indefinite NP. In the same manner, tense can be interpreted referentially or non-referentially, depending on the availability of the presupposition that the speaker has a certain or specific interval in her mind that is picked out by that tense. By incorporating presupposition into the semantics of tense, this paper clearly demonstrates how the ambiguity of tense is resolved.