MODALVERBS
1.
Hewroteithimself.Hemusthavewri=enithimself.
• unmodalizedsentence:speakercommi=edtothefactualityoftheproposiFon
• modalized:speaker’scommitmentisqualified,proposiFonisinferred
• unmodalizedsentence:strongerclaim• knowledgebydeducFonisweakerthanknowledgebydirectexperience
Morpho-syntacFcproperFessharedwithauxiliarieshave,be
q NICEproperFes:• NegaFonwithoutDOsupport• Inversionininterrog.Ss• Codas:IcancomeandsocanBill.• EmphasiswithoutDOsupport:Youshallhavethemoneybytomorrow.
q noeventstructure,donotassigntheta-role
• modals:underInflecFon• have,be–VP->Tense• DO:LastResort
modals• incompaFblewithnon-finiteforms(to,be-ing,have-en)
• incompaFblewithagreement(3rdsg)• shortinfiniFvecomplement• nopassive• noimperaFve• cannotcooccur
• modals+pasttense:Shecouldplaythepianoasachild.• pasttenseonlyinindirectspeech:Thebosssaidshemightleaveimmediately.• nopasttense:Thebosssaidshemustleaveimmediately.
• epistemic:speaker’sa[tudetothetruth-value,factualstatusoftheproposiFon(proposiFonalmodality)
• root:non-actualized,potenFalevents(eventmodality)
(Palmer)
• epistemic<Gk.knowledge• belief-setsofthespeaker,thespeaker’smentalrepresentaFonofreality
• inferenFalprocesses• meta-representaFonofreality• qualificaFonsconcerningthespeaker’sknowledge:inference,assumpFon,speculaFon,deducFon
• epistemicmodality=speaker-oriented
Hemust/mighthaveoverheard.
• rootmodality:subject-oriented,Agent-oriented
q deonFcq dynamic
• deon%c<Gk.binding=>obligaFon,permission
• deonFcmodality:condiFoningfactorsareexternaltoindividual
• possibility/necessityofactsperformedbyAgent
• externaldeonFcsourceYoumustdoyouduty.Youmayleaveearly.
• dynamicmodality:internalfactors,properFesanddisposiFonsofindividual:e.g.ability,willingness
ShecansingbeauFfully.Willyouhelpme?
• boundarydeonFc/dynamic:fuzzya.Hecangonow.• permission:deonFcsourceb.Hecanrunamilein5minutes.• dynamic,abilityHecanescape.• dynamic:circumstancesc.ShecanspeakFrench.–ambiguousd.Themostwecanexpectisaslightcutintax.(ambiguous:noidenFfiabledeonFcsource)
• rootmodals:selecFonalrestricFonsonsubjectØ noexpleFves:a.Itmayrain.=epistemicb.TheremustbeademonstraFon.=epistemicØ ??inanimateSu:c.Thetrain/Youmustbeearly.q BUT:d.Theremustbediscipline.(objecFve)e.Thedirtmustbeshoveledintothehole.(AgentidenFfiedpragmaFcally)
• rootmodals:affectedbypassivizaFon:a.RelaFvesmayvisitthestudentsonMonday.b.StudentsmaybevisitedbyrelaFves.=differentfocus:
u situaFon-type:• individual-levelstatesforceepistemicreadinga. Hemusthavegreeneyeslikehismother.b. TheymaybenaFvespeakersofDutch.
• statepredicatescoercedintoachievementoracFvityreading:rootreadingbecomesavailable:
c. Imustbethebestchessplayerthereis.d. Youmustbehonest.e. YoumustbelieveinGodorthey’llburnyouatthe
stake.f. ThenewprofessormustbeanaFvespeakerof
Finnish.g. Imustknow.
• interrogaFon:limitedcontextwithepistemics:onedoesnotnormallyquesFonone’sownsetofbeliefs:
a. Maytheracestart?(=permission)Ø excepFons:rhetoricalquesFonsb.Might/mustJohnbealiar?• condiFonals–samerestricFons:
c. ?IfJohnmusthaveahighIQ,thenhisteachersshouldtreathimcarefully.
d. ?IfthatblondemaybeJack’swife,weshouldkeepquietaboutthesecretary.
vs.deonFc:e. IfJohnmustleave,thenIwillgotoo.f. Ifmoneymayrule,thenthereisnojusFce.
• semanFcvs.pragmaFcstrength
• pragmaFcweakening:Youmusthavemorecake.
• pragmaFcstrengthening:BOSSTOEMPLOYEE:Youmayleave.
• modalharmony:Strangeasitmayseemwhateveryoumaysaymustsurelyshouldprobablymaypossiblyvs.non-harmonic:Itmaysurelyhavebeen…=surelyitispossible
NegaFon:• external:negaFontakesscopeovermodal:George[cannot]swim.=lackofability
• internal:modaltakesscopeovernegaFon:Alfredshouldn’teatnuts.=should[notVP]=itisadvisable[forhimnottoeatnuts]
Modal[not]• necessity: shall,should,must,will,would,oughtto,beto,haveto
• possibility: epistemicmay,might
not[Modal]• possibility: can,could,• rootdare• rootmay,might• need
Thescopeoftheperfect
Shemust[havesaved]him.(epistemic-internalperfect)=Iamcertainthatshesavedhim.=modaloutsidescopeofperfectShe[couldhave]savedhimifshe’dtried(dynamic-externalperfect)He[shouldhave]toldher(deonFc–externalperfect)=modalinsidescopeofperfect
Root-epistemicdisFncFon:
• inthelexicon(Ross1969,Jackendoff1971):rootandepistemicmodalsaredisFnctlexicalitems:rootmodalsaretransiFvepredicates–controlverbs,epistemic:intransiFve–raisingverbs
• difficulFes:noone-to-onemappingbetweenroot/epistemicreadingsandsyntacFcproperFes
Root-epistemicdisFncFon:
• modalsasauxiliaries• (GB,Chomsky1981):modalsgeneratedunderInflecFon
Root-epistemicdisFncFon:
• Avram(1999):syntac%caccount:• 3posiFonsavailableformodals:1. VPmergingwithVP:dynamiccan&will2. MoodPunderTense,mergingwithAspectP:
deonFcmay,must3. MoodPaboveTenseforepistemicmodals
1.ModalsunderVP
• subjectorienteddynamicmodality(Palmer1979)
• modals:noargumentstructure,noeventstructure
• resistpassivizaFon:a. ThedoctorcanexamineJohn.(shared
argumentstructure)≠b.Johncanbeexaminedbythedoctor.(DP:argumentoflexicalverb,notofmodal–ItispossibleforJohntobeexaminedby…)
TPSu T’ T0 VP can tSu V’ V0 VP tcan V0
sharedargumentstructure
• negaFon:a.Youcannotshoutifyourthroathurts.b.CanyouNOTshout?c.Hecan’tNOTshout.d.YoucanNOTshout,canyou?
2.ModalsinfuncFonaldomain• deonFcmay,must,can• canmovetoTenseovertly TP T’ T0 MoodP Mood’ Mood0 AspP Asp’ Asp0 VP
a. YoucanspeakRomanianattheconference.=b.Romaniancanbespokenattheconference.DP‘Romanian’=argumentoflexicalverbonly
3.Mood2
CP C’
C0 Mood2P Mood2’ Mood20 TP
• evaluateenFreproposiFon:takescopeoverp• takescopeoverperfect,progressive
• modals:onesingleentryinthelexicon• noeventstructure:mergewithaSmallClausewhosecomplexitywilldeterminethevariousposiFonsoccupiedbythemodal
• meaningofmodalstaysthesame:interpretaFondiffersdependingoncomplexityofthesmallclause
Root-epistemicdisFncFon:
² contextual:seman%cpragma%ccomponent(Papafragou2000,Kratzer1981)
• unitarysemanFcapproach:commoncore• interpretaFons:context-dependent• modalexpressions=proposiFonaloperatorswhichquanFfyoverasetofpossibleworlds,idenFfiedbytheproposiFon(theVP)
• expressdifferenttypesofcommitmenttothetruthofthep:thespeaker’sa[tude
<contextualandpragmaFcinfo
a.AllMaorichildrenmustlearnthenamesoftheirancestors.b.TheancestorsoftheMaorismusthavearrivedfromTahiF.c.Ifyoumustsneeze,atleastuseyourhandkerchiefd.Thepeoplesaid:Rakaipakamustbeourchief.
(Kratzer1977)• themodalbase:a. tribalduFesb. generalknowledgec. personaldisposiFon(‘disposiFonalmust;)d. thegoodofthetribe• modalrelaFon:must=logicalconsequence
modalbases: CAN:poten%al,possibility
Asaformerchampion, Johncanliyheavyweights. physical
Asasimpleguest, Johncandresscasually. social
AsaUniversityemployee, Johncangethealthbenefits. legal
Asahumanbeing, Johncanhaveconsciousmentalstates. biological
• modaloperatorsexpressdifferenttypesofcommitmenttothetruthoftheproposiFon
• modaloperator:contextofevaluaFon• modalbase:inferredfromthecontext• modalexpressions:system-neutral,underspecifiedwithrespecttocontent
Sentence:modaloperator+modalbase+proposiFon(VP)
⇒ ambiguity:twodifferentmodaldomainsavailableforoneandthesamesentence
Ican’tleavemyhusbandpenniless.Ofcourseyoucan,thelawallowsyouto!modalbase1:moralprofilemodalbase2:legalregulaFonsmodalrelaFon:(lackof)possibility
coremeaning:• necessity:must,need,haveto,havegotto,should,oughtto
• possibility:can,may