From: Richard S. Holmes (rsholmes_at_MailBox.Syr.Edu)
Date: Wed Oct 03 2001 - 09:57:41 PDT
rsholmes_at_rodan.syr.edu (Richard S. Holmes) writes:
> Anton Cox <A.G.Cox_at_city.ac.uk> writes:
>
> > "hopefully you will all have copies of the board and so you will
> > know what is going on."
> >
> > I dont think that the "hopefully" modified can be reasonably attached
> > to anything other than the state of ownership of a copy (ie the quote
> > is of the form "(hopefully X) and so Y"). I do have a copy of the
> > board, and thus by the rest of the quote "I will know what is going
> > on."
>
> Two points:
>
> (1) I disagree; I think it can be equally reasonably interpreted as
> "hopefully (X and so Y)".
Actually let me make a more forceful claim: that "(hopefully X) and so
Y" is *not* a reasonable interpretation. The phrase "and so" tells us
that Y is a (definite) consequence of something, namely, the thing
before "and so". But how can an indefinite wish ("hopefully X") have
a definite consequence? In order to "know what's going on" with
certainty I *must* "have a copy of the board" -- Alan's wishing that I
might have one isn't sufficient. I claim "hopefully (X and so Y)" in
fact is not only a reasonable interpretation, but (of the two
interpretations given) is the *only* reasonable interpretation.
--
- Rich Holmes
Syracuse, NY
--
Rule Date: 2001-10-03 16:57:56 GMT
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