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This thesis is essentially a portfolio of four disjoint yet thematically related articles that deal with some semantic aspect or another of natural language conditionals. The thesis opens with a brief introductory chapter that offers a short yet opinionated historical overview and a theoretical background of several important semantic issues of conditionals. The second chapter then deals with the issue of truth values and conditions of indicative conditionals. So-called Gibbard Phenomenon cases have been used to argue that indicative conditionals construed in terms of the Ramsey Test cannot have truth values. Since that conclusion is somewhat incredible, several alternative options are explored. Finally, a contextualised revision of the Ramsey Test is offered which successfully avoids the threats of the Gibbard Phenomenon. The third chapter deals with the question of where to draw the so-called indicative/ subjunctive line. Natural language conditionals are commonly believed to be of two semantically distinct types: indicative and subjunctive. Although this distinction is central to many semantic analyses of natural conditionals, there seems to be no consensus on the details of its nature. While trying to uncover the grounds for the distinction, we will argue our way through several plausible proposals found in the literature. Upon discovering that none of these proposals seem entirely suited, we will reconsider our position and make several helpful observations into the nature of conditional sentences. And finally, in light of our observations, we shall propose and argue for plausible grounds for the indicative/subjunctive distinction.distinction. The fourth chapter offers semantics for modal and amodal natural language conditionals based on the distinction proposed in the previous chapter. First, the nature of modal and amodal suppositions will be explored. Armed with an analysis of modal and amodal suppositions, the corresponding conditionals will be examined further. Consequently, the syntax of conditionals in English will be uncovered for the purpose of providing input for our semantics. And finally, compositional semantics in generative grammar will be offered for modal and amodal conditionals. The fifth and final chapter defends Modus Ponens from alleged counterexamples. In particular, the chapter offers a solution to McGee’s infamous counterexamples. First, several solutions offered to the counterexamples hitherto are all argued to be inadequate. After a couple of observations on the counterexamples’ nature, a solution is offered and demonstrated. the solution suggests that the semantics of embedded natural language conditionals is more sophisticated than their surface syntax indicates. The heart of the solution is a translation function from the surface form of natural language conditionals to their logical form. Finally, the thesis ends with a conclusion that briefly summarises the main conclusions drawn in its preceding chapters.

Historically, the study of NT Greek conditional statements has predominantly set its focus on the Mood and Tense of the protasis. More recently, semantic approaches based on the speaker's viewpoint, or attitude, have also been adopted, to classify conditionals either as statements of assertion or projection. As such approaches are based on a limited number of linguistic features and functions, they offer only a partial understanding of conditionals. Most grammarians also largely ignore the wider contexts of the biblical texts and conditionals' rhetorical function. The purpose of this study is twofold: to critically examine current methods of describing and classifying conditionals to propose a new method based on theory of language and the analytical framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL); and to apply the proposed interpretive framework to analyze selected conditionals found in the Gospel of John, exploring how Jesus uses conditionals to persuade his audience and how conditionals serve the persuasive purpose of the Gospel. Instead of following the conventional lines of investigation, this thesis adopts Systemic Functional Linguistics' multi-stratal structure and multi-functional concept of language. Structurally, the interpretive framework expands from the units of words and clauses to those of clause complexes. All three major functions of language (ideational, interpersonal, and textual) are included as part of the total meaning. An analytical interpretive framework is then set up and applied to selected conditionals in John 3-11. Based on the evidence such as the choice of the Mood, thematic structure, logico-semantic relation, grammatical intricacy, clustered and consecutive conditionals, and conditionals as topic and summative statements, it is concluded that the conditionals Jesus uses present a strongly persuasive case for the author's purpose of writing. On one hand, the conditionals that Jesus uses rebut the Jews' charge of blasphemy and make a convincing case for his Christological claim. On the other hand, conditionals by Jesus also provide his audience and the reader of John with a different viewpoint (an alternate world) to understand the deeper meaning of faith and discipleship. Johannine conditionals perform the function of persuading the reader of John toward faith and spiritual growth in Jesus (20:31). / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

In traditional tasks of formal reasoning, participants are asked to evaluate the validity of logical arguments. While this research tradition has contributed in many ways to our understanding of human reasoning, the extent to which this body of research generalizes to everyday, or informal, reasoning is unclear (e.g., Evans & Thompson, 2004; Galotti, 1989). The main goal of this dissertation was to illustrate the benefits of applying an informal approach to the study of conditional reasoning. In six experiments, everyday conditionals in the form of inducements (promises and threats) and advice (tips and warnings) were investigated. The results support three main conclusions. First, people recruit a substantial amount of background knowledge when interpreting and reasoning with these conditionals. Specifically, inducements were found to be different from advice on several pragmatic variables (Experiment 1); these variables also predicted differences in inference patterns (Experiment 2). Second, these studies provide further support for a probabilistic interpretation of conditionals (e.g., Evans & Over, 2004; Oaksford & Chater, 2001). Thus, in Experiments 3-5, estimates of different conditional probabilities predicted a number of judgments people make about inducements and advice. A particularly interesting finding was that the effectiveness of these conditionals in changing behaviour did not seem to depend on how likely they were perceived to be true. Finally, Experiment 6 adopted a decision-theoretic analysis (e.g., Over, Manktelow, & Hadjichristidis, 2004), showing that the effectiveness and quality of inducements and advice were tied to perceptions of subjective utility and preferences among possible outcomes. This dissertation concludes with a theoretical discussion of the nature of the relationship between formal and informal reasoning.

In traditional tasks of formal reasoning, participants are asked to evaluate the validity of logical arguments. While this research tradition has contributed in many ways to our understanding of human reasoning, the extent to which this body of research generalizes to everyday, or informal, reasoning is unclear (e.g., Evans & Thompson, 2004; Galotti, 1989). The main goal of this dissertation was to illustrate the benefits of applying an informal approach to the study of conditional reasoning. In six experiments, everyday conditionals in the form of inducements (promises and threats) and advice (tips and warnings) were investigated. The results support three main conclusions. First, people recruit a substantial amount of background knowledge when interpreting and reasoning with these conditionals. Specifically, inducements were found to be different from advice on several pragmatic variables (Experiment 1); these variables also predicted differences in inference patterns (Experiment 2). Second, these studies provide further support for a probabilistic interpretation of conditionals (e.g., Evans & Over, 2004; Oaksford & Chater, 2001). Thus, in Experiments 3-5, estimates of different conditional probabilities predicted a number of judgments people make about inducements and advice. A particularly interesting finding was that the effectiveness of these conditionals in changing behaviour did not seem to depend on how likely they were perceived to be true. Finally, Experiment 6 adopted a decision-theoretic analysis (e.g., Over, Manktelow, & Hadjichristidis, 2004), showing that the effectiveness and quality of inducements and advice were tied to perceptions of subjective utility and preferences among possible outcomes. This dissertation concludes with a theoretical discussion of the nature of the relationship between formal and informal reasoning.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Cambridge, 1994. / Cover title. "January 1994." Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this dissertation is to account for the syntactic and semantic traits of Tłı̨chǫ modal clauses within a cross-linguistic typology of conditional clauses. This dissertation provides a comprehensive description and analysis of clauses that are introduced by nı̨dè, a Tłı̨chǫ word with cognates in many Dene languages. Clauses that are introduced by nı̨dè are modal adjuncts, which cover predictions about the future (future temporal adverbial clauses, when), hypothetical scenarios (conditional clauses, if) and generic or habitual generalisations about the world (restrictive clauses, whenever). I provide a unified account for all of these uses by showing that they are all in the realm of modality. I then hypothesise that nı̨dè is a complementiser which introduces a modal adjunct clause. I follow von Fintel (2006) and Kratzer (2012) and suggest that nı̨dè restricts a modal operator in its apodosis. This account explains apparent gaps in the Tłı̨chǫ grammar, and in particular within concessive adjunct clauses ('even though...'), which cannot be introduced by nı̨de, and attributes this mismatch to the difference between the factivity of concessive adjunct clauses on the one hand and modality in clauses introduced by nı̨dè on the other hand. I contrast this with concessive conditional clauses ('if.... even...'), which can be introduced by nı̨dè, and in which nı̨dè scopes over the concessive adverb kò (following Bennett, 1982, 2003). This work highlights the ways in which Tłı̨chǫ conditionals are different from, and similar to, previous cross-linguistic generalisations of conditionals. Conditionals in Tłı̨chǫ and other Dene languages differ from many accounts of conditionals, which focus on the role of the verbal form in communicating speaker attitudes about the hypotheticality of the proposition in the conditional (Iatridou, 2000; Karawani, 2014). In contrast, Tłı̨chǫ uses verb aspect inside clauses to indicate the action as complete or incomplete, much like in matrix clauses. Tłı̨chǫ speakers communicate their attitudes of the likelihood and hypotheticality of the proposition using other means, such as adverbs and evidentials. However, Tłı̨chǫ is also similar to other languages, in extending the modal nature of conditional clauses to a subtype of conditionals called premise conditionals, which communicate rhetorical devices and a variety of metatextual comments (Dancygier, 1993, 1999). This is unexpected, as I argue that nı̨dè must introduce a modal clause, whereas premise conditionals seemingly deal with facts. I argue that despite first impressions, Tłı̨chǫ premise conditionals are still within the realm of modality, as they are either used to express propositions that are not accepted as fact by the speaker, or are used to restrict a modal in the adjoined clause, much like hypothetical conditionals. The structure of Tłı̨chǫ premise conditionals is likewise similar to the structure that has been proposed in the past for other languages (Haegeman, 2003, 2010). / Graduate

The Functions and the Ordering of Conditional `If Clauses' in English---A Genre AnalysisPrevious research studies are in agreement that the canonical order for English if conditionals is sentence-initial rather than final. However, earlier findings regarding the distribution of the ordering between initial and final if-conditionals represent only those patterns specific to the limited number of genres examined. This corpus linguistic study is based on a research approach which includes a larger sampling pool and a selection of representative genres as well as detailed statistical and content analyses. It examines the variations in the distributional patterns between initial and final if-clauses within each individual genre and across different genres. The findings of this study suggest that if-conditionals have significantly different distributional pattern across genres. In contrast to the consensus view in current literature that initial if-clause rather than final is the dominant clause order, in 3 of the genres examined in this study (Letters to the Editor, Recipes and Sports News) final if-clauses occur more frequently than initial. In addition, in 3 other genres (News Reportage, Science Fiction and Romance Fiction) these two clause types are equally distributed. This study thus identifies genre as a significant factor influencing sentential if-conditional placement.The study also argues that in addition to the expression of topic and focus discourse relations, the ordering of the conditional and consequence clauses is often used to convey specific pragmatic effects and to perform functions related to genre-specific needs, including social politeness and showing power deixis, hedging or strengthening a proposition. / Department of English

This thesis examines the difference between conditional phrases in Egyptian Colloquial (EC) and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). It focuses on two different conditional particles 'iḏa and law. Verb tenses featured after the conditional particle determine the difference between EC and MSA usage. Grammars for EC and MSA provide a prescriptive approach for a comparison with empirical data from Arabic corpora. The study uses data from the ArabiCorpus along with a corpus of Egyptian Colloquial that were compiled specifically for this study. The results of this study demonstrate that each particle (‘iḏa and law) and register (EC and MSA) favors a certain tense. Also, the data contrast with rules prescribed by grammars for MSA. Present tense verbs appear in the proposed condition for particle law a total of 22 out of 400 tokens (5.5%). Verb tense also plays an important role in determining the connecting particle for MSA sentences. The results demonstrate that the selection of connecting particles for law does not occur by chance but is instead systematic in nature. An apodosis containing a past tense verb strongly favors the connecter la, while one with a non-past tense verb strongly favors the connector fa.