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