Metonymy and Metaphor in the Evolution of Modal Verbs

2000 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Delia Bentley
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Epistemic Modality ◽  
The Other ◽  
A Posteriori ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Semantic Development ◽  
Deontic Modality

Abstract. The semantic development of the Italo-Romance outcomes of habeo (plus particle) and infinitive does not involve any dramatic changes. The earliest attestations of Sardinian áere a already express prototypical futurity (alongside deontic modality). On the other hand, a number of minimal changes are observed in other varieties. Sicilian aviri a comes to denote subjective epistemic modality and a few postmodal meanings, whilst the periphrasis with da has only extended to epistemic contexts in modern Tuscan. The evolution of the Sicilian structure involves the obliteration of prominent aspects of meaning (metonymy), whereas the development of Tuscan avere da is characterized by a change of domain (metaphor). Metonymy and metaphor, however, might be side-effects of independently motivated changes, which are observed a posteriori. The diachronic findings presented in this work combine easily with the view of unidirectionality proposed by van der Auwera and Plungian (1998).

scholarly journals (Non)epistemic modality: English must, have to and have got to and their correspondences in Lithuanian

Kalbotyra ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (69) ◽  
pp. 223
Author(s):  
Audronė Šolienė
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Epistemic Modality ◽  
The Other ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Deontic Modality ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Methods

This paper deals with the three types of modality – epistemic, deontic and dynamic. It examines the relation between the synchronic uses of the modal auxiliary must and the semi-modals have to and have got to as well as their Lithuanian translation correspondences (TCs) found in a bidirectional translation corpus. The study exploits quantitative and qualitative methods of research. The purpose is to find out which type of modality is most common in the use of must, have to and have got to; to establish their equivalents in Lithuanian in terms of congruent or non-congruent correspondence (Johansson 2007); and to determine how Lithuanian TCs (verbs or adverbials) correlate with different types of modality expressed. The analysis has shown that must is mostly used to convey epistemic nuances, while have to and have got to feature in non-epistemic environments. The findings show that must can boast of a great diversity of TCs. Some of them may serve as epistemic markers; others appear in deontic domains only. Have (got) to, on the other hand, is usually rendered by the modal verbs reikėti ‘need’ and turėti ‘must/have to’, which usually encode deontic modality.

Italian children's understanding of the epistemic and deontic modal verbs dovere (must) and potere (may)

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELISABETTA BASCELLI ◽  
MARIA SILVIA BARBIERI
Keyword(s):  
Epistemic Modality ◽  
The Other ◽  
Dual Function ◽  
Full Understanding ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Epistemic Modal ◽  
Single Sentence ◽  
Modal Verb ◽  
Deontic Modality

This study assesses children's understanding of the Italian modal verbs dovere (must) and potere (may) in their dual function of qualification of the speaker's beliefs (epistemic modality) and behaviour regulation (deontic modality). 192 children and 60 adults participated in the experiment. Children aged 3;0 to 9;2 were presented with two tasks: one assessed their understanding of modal expressions in the epistemic domain – looking for an object by following the information contained in a sentence; the other assessed their understanding of modal expressions in the deontic domain – acting according to obligations, permissions and prohibitions in the context of a game. Half of the subjects carried out the tasks in a single-sentence format and half carried out the tasks in a double-sentence format. In the single-sentence format the subjects had to follow the directions supplied by a modalized sentence; in the double-sentence format they had to follow the directions supplied by the sentence containing the stronger modal verb. Our results show that the understanding of deontic modal forms precedes the understanding of epistemic modal forms and that a full understanding of the strength of different modal forms is achieved only at eight years.

scholarly journals Overvejelser omkring princippperne for en syntaktisk-semantisk kontrastiv analyse af modalverberne i moderne engelsk og dansk

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Karen M. Lauridsen
Keyword(s):  
Epistemic Modality ◽  
The Other ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Semantic Categorization ◽  
Modal Operators ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The One ◽  
Tertium Comparationis

The present paper deals with the principles of a syntactico-semantic constrastive analysis exemplified by the author's project concerning a semantic subcategorization of modality and a constrastive analysis has been established for the project along the following lines: the categories are defined as Boolean, imprecise categories, and the semantic categorization is established by means of a combination of, on the one hand, the distinction between epistemic and non-epistemic modality, and on the other hand, the modal operators possibility and necessity. The categories are thus defined by means of cross-linguistic logico-semantic criteria and are well suited as tertium comparationis in an analysis of language specific modal expressions such as the modal verbs.

scholarly journals Are doomsday scenarios best seen as failed predictions or political detonators? The case of the ‘Theory of Himalayan Environmental Degradation’

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Tor H. Aase
Keyword(s):  
Hypothesis Testing ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
A Posteriori ◽  
Alarm Clock ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
Ecological Variation ◽  
Other Hand

The so-called ‘Theory of Himalayan Environmental Degradation’ predicted an environmental collapse by the end of last millennium, threatening the life of millions of people. Fortunately, the all-encompassing crisis did not materialize. The article shows that the ‘Theory’ failed to take into account the vast ecological variation in Himalaya and thus generalized its contentions to the whole mountain range on the basis of deficient data. But, on the other hand, what would have happened if the prediction had not been made? A doomsday scenario like the Theory of Himalayan Degradation can, from the perspective of positivist hypothesis testing, be viewed a posteriori as a failed prediction; but from another perspective it can be seen as an alarm clock that triggered a series of policy initiatives and new knowledge.The Geographical Journal of Nepal Vol. 10: 1-14, 2017

scholarly journals AKTUALISASI REVOLUSI MENTAL DALAM PENGELOLAAN DANA DESA (ANALISIS TAFSIR EKONOMI Q.S.YUSUF [12]: 55)

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-246
Author(s):  
Muhammad Amin ◽  
Azima Azima
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
The Other ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The Village

Dana Desa are one of the most effective policies in village development with the completion of various kinds of infrastructure in the village. On the other hand, this policy caused side effects in the form of criminal acts of corruption against these funds. Through the interpretation of Q.S. Yusuf verse 55, the author offers the actualization of the spirit of mental revolution in the management of village funds through measures to strengthen integrity, increase professionalism, innovation, responsibility, and broaden horizons. Through these steps, the village fund policy can be implemented completely and right on target.

De Sousa On Kripke And Theoretical Identities

1975 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Yoshida
Keyword(s):  
Possible Worlds ◽  
The Other ◽  
Saul Kripke ◽  
A Posteriori ◽  
Rigid Designator ◽  
Rigid Designators ◽  
Necessary A Posteriori ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Identity Statement ◽  
Naming And Necessity

In the by now well known talks he gave at Princeton, Saul Kripke claimed that “[t]heoretical identities … are generally identities involving two rigid designators and therefore are examples of the necessary a posteriori.” (Published as “Naming and Necessity,” in G. Harmon and D. Davidson, eds., Semantics of Natural Language (Dordrecht, 1972) 253-355; (hereafter referred to as “NN”; this quote p. 331.) A rigid designator is an expression that designates the same object in all possible worlds when it is used. So Kripke is claiming that ‘Water is H20’ and ‘Heat is the motion of molecules’ are generally identities involving expressions like ‘water’ and ‘the motion of molecules’ which designate the same objects in all possible worlds. If the identity statement is true, both sides designate the same object rigidly, i.e., in all possible worlds, and therefore the statement is necessarily true. On the other hand, whether it is true is determined ultimately by appeal to experience. It follows that if true, the identity is necessary a posteriori.

scholarly journals Investigating the Semantic Development of Modal Markers: The Role of Context

Clotho ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-53
Author(s):  
Tomaž Potočnik ◽  
Matej Hriberšek
Keyword(s):  
Language Change ◽  
Epistemic Modality ◽  
Semantic Change ◽  
Semantic Development ◽  
Modal Verb ◽  
Deontic Modality ◽  
Do So

The article tackles the problem of studying diachronic semantic changes of modal markers in Latin. It proposes to do so by using context as a proxy for tracing the development of otherwise unchanging forms. In the first part, the main theoretical positions in modality studies are presented, especially the notions of deontic modality, epistemic modality, and pathways of modality. In the second part, Heine’s model for studying the role of context in language change is presented and applied to the modal verb licet. In the case study of licet, an attempt is made to identify the so-called switch context which co-creates the conditions necessary for the semantic change.

scholarly journals On the issue of asepsis during laparotomy

1892 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 825-845
Author(s):  
M. Mirenov
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
The Other ◽  
Clinical Observations ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The One

Clinical observations of recent years, showing, on the one hand, that the use of the antiseptic method in surgery often has undesirable side effects both on the patient's body and on the operating person himself; on the other hand, the excellent results obtained by surgeons who do not use the antiseptic method and observe only cleanliness have compelled operators with well-established clinics to replace antiseptics with asepsis more and more.

scholarly journals The Difference Between Modal Verbs in Deontic and Epistemic Modality

Humaniora ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Menik Winiharti
Keyword(s):  
Language Teachers ◽  
Epistemic Modality ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Modal Verb ◽  
Deontic Modality ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Single Proposition

Modality is always interesting to discuss. Understanding it is crucial for both language teachers and learners. This essay discusses the concept of modality, its types and uses. It has a goal to find the difference between deontic and epistemic modality that is indicated by their modal verbs. It also provides the readers a better understanding of modality, particularly of its types and uses. The result of the analysis shows that in general, deontic modality indicates obligation and permission, while epistemic modality expresses possibility and prediction. However, the difference between deontic and epistemic modality is not a clear cut, since one single modal verb can express both types, and one single proposition can be expressed by more than one modal verb.  

scholarly journals Corpus Based Study of Personal Pronoun’s Rhetoric in Obama’s and Xi Jinping’s Diplomatic Discourse

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Irungu Wageche ◽  
Changhai Chi
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
First Person ◽  
Xi Jinping ◽  
Personal Pronouns ◽  
Future Tense ◽  
President Obama ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The Future

<p>This paper examines how first personal pronouns in English aid president Obama and president Xi Jinping to speak persuasively on international platforms. Drawing on four speeches, this paper explores the frequency of first person pronouns realized in both singular and plural forms and analyzes, within a framework of Critical Discourse Analyses (CDA), how these pronouns are exploited using modal verbs and tenses to attain and sustain rhetorical appeal. This paper found out that Obama deploys personal pronouns selectively with more I-pronouns realized in his speech in Africa and more we-pronouns realized in his speech in Europe, has a bias towards modal verbs that highlight ability and intention: <em>can</em> and <em>will,</em> and prefers the future tense. On the other hand, this paper found out that Xi deploys both the I-pronouns and the We-pronouns equally in his speeches in both Africa and Europe, has an inclination towards we-pronouns in his diplomatic discourse, a bias towards modal verbs highlighting necessity: <em>should</em> and <em>need</em>, and prefers the future tense.</p>

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