Re: Looking for a case: counting

Christophe Grandsire scripsit:

> Also, isn't it strange that you describe "for many years" as a
> circumstant while you treat "many times" as an adverb. Semantically, the
> difference between them is so minimal (if "many times" is a "process
> quantifier", then so is "for many years". It very much quantifies the
> process as on-going and begun in the past, and in many languages would be
> rendered as an aspect mark on the verb) that putting such a strong
> distinction in between is just not justified.
There is a significant distinction in fact.  "For many years" specifies
an interval duration (it doesn't necessarily specify the actual tense
or aspect, as in "I hope to continue coming here for many years"),
whereas "many times" specifies the occurrences within the overall
interval.

--
Evolutionary psychology is the theory           John Cowan
that men are nothing but horn-dogs,             http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
and that women only want them for their money.  http://www.reutershealth.com
        --Susan McCarthy (adapted)              jcowan@reutershealth.com

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