German final clauses and attitude verbs

Abstract

This paper explores the semantics of German final clauses introduced by um and damit against the background of their combinatorial potential with attitude verbs. While final clauses are usually seen as expressing the motivation behind some action, the frequent modification of preferential attitudes like hope or want presents a puzzle. This paper discusses two common paraphrases as a basis for a semantic analysis of final clauses. The attitude data turn out to be challenging for both of them. The paper proposes a tentative solution for the problem by assuming that intentional action implies the same kind of attitude holder that is evoked by preferential attitudes.