The Slovenian future auxiliary biti as a tenseless gradable evidential modal
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María Luisa Rivero
Abstract
Adopting a general perspective inspired by formal semantics -most prominently Kratzer’s ideas on modals-, this paper argues that the Slovenian future auxiliary biti may function as an epistemic modal with evidential characteristics. In its epistemic capacity, biti is a Zero-tense/tenseless modal anchored to Speech Time. In other words, it signals a deduction/concession made at Speech Time, or displays a so-called present ‘Temporal Perspective’. Biti does not define the time or ‘Temporal Orientation’ of the depicted event, which is defined by Viewpoint Aspect. Biti may depict present, past, future, or habitual events when it combines with Imperfective (IMPF) Viewpoint Aspect. When combined with Perfective (PERF) Viewpoint Aspect, biti necessarily depicts future events/ acquires a future ‘Temporal Orientation’. Biti is a gradable modal connected to either a scale of believability or a scale of desirability, both anchored in the speaker.
Abstract
Adopting a general perspective inspired by formal semantics -most prominently Kratzer’s ideas on modals-, this paper argues that the Slovenian future auxiliary biti may function as an epistemic modal with evidential characteristics. In its epistemic capacity, biti is a Zero-tense/tenseless modal anchored to Speech Time. In other words, it signals a deduction/concession made at Speech Time, or displays a so-called present ‘Temporal Perspective’. Biti does not define the time or ‘Temporal Orientation’ of the depicted event, which is defined by Viewpoint Aspect. Biti may depict present, past, future, or habitual events when it combines with Imperfective (IMPF) Viewpoint Aspect. When combined with Perfective (PERF) Viewpoint Aspect, biti necessarily depicts future events/ acquires a future ‘Temporal Orientation’. Biti is a gradable modal connected to either a scale of believability or a scale of desirability, both anchored in the speaker.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction with a state of the art in generative Slovenian syntax 1
- On second position clitics crosslinguistically 23
- Participles come back to Slovenian 55
- Restructuring restructuring 69
- Clitics are/become Minimal(ist) 91
- The left periphery of Slovenian relative clauses 129
- Unaccusatives in Slovenian from a cross-linguistic perspective 145
- The modal cycle vs. negation in Slovenian 167
- The left periphery of multiple wh-questions in Slovenian 193
- A relative syntax and semantics for Slovenian 221
- The Slovenian future auxiliary biti as a tenseless gradable evidential modal 253
- Not two sides of one coin 283
- Quo vadis, Slovenian bipartite pronouns? 313
- Language index 329
- Subject index 331
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction with a state of the art in generative Slovenian syntax 1
- On second position clitics crosslinguistically 23
- Participles come back to Slovenian 55
- Restructuring restructuring 69
- Clitics are/become Minimal(ist) 91
- The left periphery of Slovenian relative clauses 129
- Unaccusatives in Slovenian from a cross-linguistic perspective 145
- The modal cycle vs. negation in Slovenian 167
- The left periphery of multiple wh-questions in Slovenian 193
- A relative syntax and semantics for Slovenian 221
- The Slovenian future auxiliary biti as a tenseless gradable evidential modal 253
- Not two sides of one coin 283
- Quo vadis, Slovenian bipartite pronouns? 313
- Language index 329
- Subject index 331
