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7 - Modal Verb Semantics

from II - Verbal Modality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 February 2021

Werner Abraham
Werner Abraham
Affiliation:
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands
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Summary

We develop the mereological property of distance to explain the aspect and Aktionsart contingency of modal verbs. While the link between perfective-resultative aspect and root modality seems to be solid, aspectual imperfectivity is in no such solid connection with epistemic modality. The question is why this is so.

Keywords

aspect links and its exceptionsorigo perspectives of modal verbs
Type
Chapter
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Modality in Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics , pp. 188 - 210
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Modal Verb Semantics
  • Werner Abraham, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands
  • Book: Modality in Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics
  • Online publication: 06 February 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139108676.009
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  • Modal Verb Semantics
  • Werner Abraham, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands
  • Book: Modality in Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics
  • Online publication: 06 February 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139108676.009
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Modal Verb Semantics
  • Werner Abraham, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands
  • Book: Modality in Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics
  • Online publication: 06 February 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139108676.009
Available formats
×