Temporal modification in Greek adverbial clauses: The role of aspect and negation

Abstract The aim of this paper is to provide a formal account of the differences between adverbial clauses introduced by the Greek temporal connectives kathos, eno and afu. Based on Haegeman's (2003, this issue) criteria for distinguishing between central and peripheral clauses, we examine the ‘external’ and ‘internal’ syntax of Greek adverbials introduced by these connectives. Although Haegeman's proposal aims to cover not only English but also cross-linguistic properties of central vs. peripheral clauses, we would like to argue that there are certain language-specific criteria, namely aspect and negation, which could be used as additional support for the structural distinction proposed and which call for some modifications of the structural differences suggested for English adverbials. The Greek connectives are shown to be aspectually dependent in the sense that they are specified for [boundedness] as part of their lexical entry. This property affects their structural position in central vs. peripheral adverbials, on one hand, and the possibilities of temporal anchoring onto the matrix clause, on the other. Finally, the language-specific criteria discussed, namely aspect and negation, are tested through an interpretation task with native speakers of Greek in order to establish the preference for the temporal over the non-temporal readings when aspect and negation are controlled for.