{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.03093476798924008, 'fraction_numerical': 0.01882985877605918, 'mean_word_length': 5.0242914979757085, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Polarity, veridicality and temporal connectives

Introduction. The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the semantical properties of before, after, and related elements. In particular, we shall raise the question whether the occurrence of negative polarity items in before-clauses can be described in terms of the semantic structure of the connective. In order to provide an answer, we adopt the analysis proposed by Landman (1991), which is based on Anscombe’s (1964) discussion of before and after, and incorporates the findings of Heinamaki (1974), Hinrichs (1981), Partee (1984) and Oversteegen (1989). We then show that before is not only a monotone decreasing connective, but has the characteristic properties of an n-word. This result will enable us to point out some unexpected connections between the phenomenon of negative polarity, on the one hand, and ontological assumptions about the flow of time, on the other. In particular, we will prove that before can only be analyzed as an n-word if the model of time underlying natural language is the model of linear time.We also discuss two other interesting features of Landman’s account: before and after cannot be treated as converses, and before is what Montague (1969) calls nonveridical in that it doesn’t force us to accept the truth of the clause it introduces. Veridicality and monotonicity turn out to be related properties, since it can be shown that monotone decreasing connectives are nonveridical in nature.