Embedding Imperatives

Abstract

The last chapter deals with a variety of cases in which what constitutes the form type of unembedded imperatives appears embedded into a larger expression. This is particularly interesting as imperatives are often considered root phenomena (i.e., impossible to embed), while the propositional semantics assigned predicts that—as far as semantics is concerned—they could be embedded. Three different cases are investigated crosslinguistically. First, various types of imperatives in reported speech are considered, and it is argued that some of these instances have to be considered truly embedded. Next, the modal analysis of imperatives is given further support based on their behavior in the consequents of conditional clauses and in contexts of modal subordination. Eventually, the chapter turns to imperatives in conjunction and disjunction with imperatives. It is argued that both these constructions involve true imperatives semantically, but that the conditional interpretations arising for conjunctions and disjunctions arise in a slightly different manner. In particular, only imperatives in conditional disjunctions are also mapped onto speech acts. The respective proposals conclude the chapter.