Modality In Germanic Languages

Author : Toril Swan,Olaf J. Westvik
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter
Page : 329 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2011-06-24
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9783110889932

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Modality in Germanic Languages by Toril Swan,Olaf J. Westvik Pdf

TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS is a series of books that open new perspectives in our understanding of language. The series publishes state-of-the-art work on core areas of linguistics across theoretical frameworks as well as studies that provide new insights by building bridges to neighbouring fields such as neuroscience and cognitive science. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS considers itself a forum for cutting-edge research based on solid empirical data on language in its various manifestations, including sign languages. It regards linguistic variation in its synchronic and diachronic dimensions as well as in its social contexts as important sources of insight for a better understanding of the design of linguistic systems and the ecology and evolution of language. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS publishes monographs and outstanding dissertations as well as edited volumes, which provide the opportunity to address controversial topics from different empirical and theoretical viewpoints. High quality standards are ensured through anonymous reviewing.

Author : Jackie Nordström
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 326 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Germanic languages
ISBN : 9162878050

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Modality and Subordinators in the Germanic Languages and Beyond by Jackie Nordström Pdf

Author : Jackie Nordstrom
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
Page : 365 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2010
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027205834

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Modality and Subordinators by Jackie Nordstrom Pdf

This book connects two linguistic phenomena, modality and subordinators, so that both are seen in a new light, each adding to the understanding of the other. It argues that general subordinators (or complementizers) denote propositional modality (otherwise expressed by moods such as the indicative-subjunctive and epistemic-evidential modal markers). The book explores the hypothesis both on a cross-linguistic and on a language-branch specific level (the Germanic languages). One obvious connection between the indicative-subjunctive distinction and subordinators is that the former is typically manifested in subordinate clauses. Furthermore, both the indicative-subjunctive and subordinators determine clause types. More importantly, however, it is shown, through data from various languages, that subordinators themselves often denote the indicative-subjunctive distinction. In the Germanic languages, there is variation in many clause types between both the indicative and the subjunctive and "that" and "if "depending on the speaker s and/or the subject s certainty of the truth of the proposition."

Author : Kristin Melum Eide
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter
Page : 473 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2011-12-22
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9783110899634

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Norwegian Modals by Kristin Melum Eide Pdf

Norwegian Modals is a detailed description of the syntactic and semantic properties of modals in Norwegian. Modal verbs in Mainland Scandinavian languages have received much less attention than their English and German counterparts, hence this book seizes the opportunity to present a range of new data and generalizations relevant for the study of Scandinavian languages, but also for the study of modality in Germanic and other languages. The book critically evaluates a range of proposals from the modality literature, focusing on the Theta-properties and the scopal properties of Modals in Germanic languages, and concludes that none of these previous proposals are able to account for the syntax of modals in Norwegian. The Theta-properties of modals are shown to depend on the construction in which the modal occurs, hence neither a raising analysis, a control analysis, nor a raising-versus-control analysis in fact suffices to exhaust these properties of Norwegian modals. The interplay of modals with tense and aspect is likewise thoroughly investigated, presenting a range of data revealing that existing universalist proposals are insufficient to account for even quite regular patterns. Instead, a new analysis is presented, building on a new compositional tense system which exploits aspectual features of predicates and selectional preferences of modal classes.

Author : Werner Abraham,Elisabeth Leiss
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Page : 450 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 2012-11-15
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781443842914

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Covert Patterns of Modality by Werner Abraham,Elisabeth Leiss Pdf

This typological overview compares the degree to which different languages have means to give expression to modality (possibility, necessity) without lexical and direct inflectional means. The criterial patterns derive from a variety of languages such as German, English, Chinese, French, Scandinavian, Italian, Romanian, Russian, Polish, and Gothic as well as Old High German. They encompass mainly the auxiliaries HAVE and BE, together with either an infinitival embedding of a full verb linked by the infinitival preposition TO, or other aspectual means. It is demonstrated that what appears as typical covert modal expressions in the Germanic languages, and the Indo-European ones in a wider sense, cannot be seen as a recurrent pattern in non-Indo-European languages. Yet, there are recurrent and plausible forms that allow for generalizations.

Author : Johan van der Auwera,Patrick Dendale
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing Company
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2001
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : STANFORD:36105111397100

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Modal Verbs in Germanic and Romance Languages by Johan van der Auwera,Patrick Dendale Pdf

As of Volume 9 (1994/95) John Benjamins Publishing Company is the official publisher of the Belgian Journal of Linguistics, the annual publication of the Linguistic Society of Belgium. Each volume is topical and includes selected papers from the international meetings organised by the LSB.

Author : Werner Abraham,Elisabeth Leiss
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter
Page : 470 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2012-05-29
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9783110271072

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Modality and Theory of Mind Elements across Languages by Werner Abraham,Elisabeth Leiss Pdf

Modality is the way a speaker modifies her declaratives and other speech acts to optimally assess the common ground of knowledge and belief of the addressee with the aim to optimally achieve understanding and an assessment of relevant information exchange. In languages such as German (and other Germanic languages outside of English), this may happen in covert terms. Main categories used for this purpose are modal adverbials ("modal particles") and modal verbs. Epistemic uses of modal verbs (like German sollen) cover evidential (reportative) information simultaneously providing the source of the information. Methodologically, description and explanation rest on Karl Bühler's concept of Origo as well as Roman Jakobson's concept of shifter. Typologically, East Asian languages such as Japanese pursue these semasiological fundaments far more closely than the European languages. In particular, Japanese has to mark the source of a statement in the declarative mode such that the reliability may be assessed by the hearer. The contributions in this collection provide insight into these modal techniques.

Author : Elisabeth Leiss,Werner Abraham
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing Company
Page : 519 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2014-01-15
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027270795

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Modes of Modality by Elisabeth Leiss,Werner Abraham Pdf

The volume aims at a universal definition of modality or “illocutionary/speaker’s perspective force” that is strong enough to capture the entire range of different subtypes and varieties of modalities in different languages. The central idea is that modality is all-pervasive in language. This perspective on modality allows for the integration of covert modality as well as peripheral instances of modality in neglected domains such as the modality of insufficieny, of attitudinality, or neglected domains such as modality and illocutionary force in finite vs. nonfinite and factive vs. non-factive subordinated clauses. In most languages, modality encompasses modal verbs both in their root and epistemic meanings, at least where these languages have the principled distribution between root and epistemic modality in the first place (which is one fundamentally restricted, in its strict qualitative and quantitative sense, to the Germanic languages). In addition, this volume discusses one other intricate and partially highly mysterious class of modality triggers: modal particles as they are sported in the Germanic languages (except for English). It is argued in the contributions and the languages discussed in this volume how modal verbs and adverbials, next to modal particles, are expressed, how they are interlinked with contextual factors such as aspect, definiteness, person, verbal factivity, and assertivity as opposed to other attitudinal types. An essential concept used and argued for is perspectivization (a sub-concept of possible world semantics). Language groups covered in detail and compared are Slavic, Germanic, and South East Asian. The volume will interest researchers in theoretical and applied linguistics, typology, the semantics/pragmatics interface, and language philosophy as it is part of a larger project developing an alternative approach to Universal Grammar that is compatible with functionalist approaches.

Author : Werner Abraham
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 455 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2020-09-17
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781107021228

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Modality in Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics by Werner Abraham Pdf

An innovative survey that covers the linguistic questions of modality and mood, offering a new model for the phenomenon.

Author : Björn Hansen,Ferdinand de Haan
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter
Page : 589 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2009-12-15
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9783110219210

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Modals in the Languages of Europe by Björn Hansen,Ferdinand de Haan Pdf

This book is the first comprehensive survey of modals and modal constructions in the languages of Europe. It is a collaborative effort between scholars from Europe and the United States, stemming from a workshop on Modals in the Languages of Europe in Valencia. The aim of this book is to describe the properties of modals and modal constructions in the European area and to compare the systems in individual languages or language families from an areal and genetic perspective. For the sake of contrast, the book also looks at the expression of modality in some languages just outside of Europe. The book consists of fourteen chapters on modal systems in individual languages or language families, written by experts in the respective languages, and an introductory and concluding chapter, written by the editors. The book gives both a description of the modals in the individual languages and an account of the nature and status of modals in general. It provides the reader with a theoretical account of how modals and modal constructions are grammaticalized. This theoretical account is informed by the parameters of grammaticalization of Christian Lehmann. These parameters were chosen because they are language-independent, as opposed to more language specific criteria (for instance, the NICE-criteria for English). The parameters themselves are examined as well for their suitability as part of any theory of grammaticalization. The book thus gives readers access to a collection of data on modality that surpasses most works in this field and also provides a fresh perspective on issues of grammaticalization and language contact. It is therefore of interest to scholars of modality, language contact and areal linguistics, grammaticalization theory and typology.

Author : Bart Hollebrandse,Angeliek van Hout,Co Vet
Publisher : Rodopi
Page : 274 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789042017542

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Crosslinguistic Views on Tense, Aspect and Modality by Bart Hollebrandse,Angeliek van Hout,Co Vet Pdf

This Cahiers Chronos volume reports on new and ongoing research on tense, aspect and modality in which a variety of languages has been gathered. The languages discussed by the authors include (in alphabetical order): Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian and Spanish. The articles form a selection of the papers presented at the 5th Chronos Conference that took place at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, in June 2002. We have categorized the papers into three sections: Tense, Aspect and Modality. Obviously, this ordering is somewhat arbitrary given that some of the papers cross these rather rigid boundaries, as they discuss the interplay of tense and aspect or tense and modality. This book is of interest for scholars in the field of semantics, logic, syntax, and comparative linguistics.

Author : Jackie Nordström
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
Page : 361 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2010-01-27
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027288608

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Modality and Subordinators by Jackie Nordström Pdf

This book connects two linguistic phenomena, modality and subordinators, so that both are seen in a new light, each adding to the understanding of the other. It argues that general subordinators (or complementizers) denote propositional modality (otherwise expressed by moods such as the indicative-subjunctive and epistemic-evidential modal markers). The book explores the hypothesis both on a cross-linguistic and on a language-branch specific level (the Germanic languages). One obvious connection between the indicative-subjunctive distinction and subordinators is that the former is typically manifested in subordinate clauses. Furthermore, both the indicative-subjunctive and subordinators determine clause types. More importantly, however, it is shown, through data from various languages, that subordinators themselves often denote the indicative-subjunctive distinction. In the Germanic languages, there is variation in many clause types between both the indicative and the subjunctive and that and if depending on the speaker’s and/or the subject’s certainty of the truth of the proposition.

Author : Texas Linguistics Society. Conference
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 502 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2002-10-24
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9780521803854

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Modality and Structure in Signed and Spoken Languages by Texas Linguistics Society. Conference Pdf

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Author : Felix K. Ameka,M.E. Kropp Dakubu
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
Page : 351 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2008-04-10
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027291387

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Aspect and Modality in Kwa Languages by Felix K. Ameka,M.E. Kropp Dakubu Pdf

This book explores the thesis that in the Kwa languages of West Africa, aspect and modality are more central to the grammar of the verb than tense. Where tense marking has emerged it is invariably in the expression of the future, and therefore concerned with the impending actualization or potentiality of an event, hence with modality, rather than the purely temporal sequencing associated with tense. The primary grammatical contrasts are perfective versus imperfective. The main languages discussed are Akan, Dangme, Ewe, Ga and Tuwuli while Nzema-Ahanta, Likpe and Eastern Gbe are also mentioned. Knowledge about these languages has deepened considerably during the past decade or so and ideas about their structure have changed. The volume therefore presents novel analyses of grammatical forms like the so-called S-Aux-O-V-Other or “future” constructions, and provides empirical data for theorizing about aspect and modality. It should be of considerable interest to Africanist linguists, typologists, and creolists interested in substrate issues.

Author : Werner Abraham,Elisabeth Leiss
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
Page : 448 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027229922

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Modality-aspect Interfaces by Werner Abraham,Elisabeth Leiss Pdf

The main topics pursued in this volume are based on empirical insights derived from Germanic: logical and typological dispositions about aspect-modality links. These are probed in a variety of non-related languages. The logically establishable links are the following: Modal verbs are aspect sensitive in the selection of their infinitival complements – embedded infinitival perfectivity implies root modal reading, whereas embedded infinitival imperfectivity triggers epistemic readings. However, in marked contexts such as negated ones, the aspectual affinities of modal verbs are neutralized or even subject to markedness inversion. All of this suggests that languages that do not, or only partially, bestow upon full modal verb paradigms seek to express modal variations in terms of their aspect oppositions. This typological tenet is investigated in a variety of languages from Indo-European (German, Slavic, Armenian), African, Asian, Amerindian, and Creoles. Seeming deviations and idiosyncrasies in the interaction between aspect and modality turn out to be highly rule-based.