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Aspects of a reconstruction of form and function of modal verbs in Germanic and other languages

  • Michail L. Kotin
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Modality–Aspect Interfaces
This chapter is in the book Modality–Aspect Interfaces

Abstract

Genuine modal verbs in the Germanic languages classify as preterit presents. Since the Germanic preterit derives genetically from the Indo-European perfect and since there is no trace of the original Indo-European present stems of the modal verbs, one generally assumes that these verbal classes were perfecta tantum, i.e., a morphological paradigm of the proto-language lacking any imperfectivepresent corresponding forms. The reconstruction shows that the root modality derives directly from the perfective and, respectively, the perfective-medial function. This boils down to the temporal reconstruction of the aspectual function. Comparing the Slavic aspect languages confirms the hypothesis offered by Abraham (1987, 1991, 2001, 2005) and Leiss (1992, 2000, 2002a–d) about the categorial affinity between root modality and perfective aspectuality.

Abstract

Genuine modal verbs in the Germanic languages classify as preterit presents. Since the Germanic preterit derives genetically from the Indo-European perfect and since there is no trace of the original Indo-European present stems of the modal verbs, one generally assumes that these verbal classes were perfecta tantum, i.e., a morphological paradigm of the proto-language lacking any imperfectivepresent corresponding forms. The reconstruction shows that the root modality derives directly from the perfective and, respectively, the perfective-medial function. This boils down to the temporal reconstruction of the aspectual function. Comparing the Slavic aspect languages confirms the hypothesis offered by Abraham (1987, 1991, 2001, 2005) and Leiss (1992, 2000, 2002a–d) about the categorial affinity between root modality and perfective aspectuality.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors vii
  4. Preface ix
  5. Introduction: Aspect-modality interfaces and interchanges across languages xi
  6. General
  7. On the logic of generalizations about cross-linguistic aspect-modality links 3
  8. The silent and aspect-driven patterns of deonticity and epistemicity: A chapter in diachronic typology 15
  9. Propositional aspect and the development of modal inferences in English 43
  10. Towards an understanding of the progressive form in English: The Imperative as a heuristic tool 81
  11. Epistemic modality and aspect contingency in Armenian, Russian, and German 97
  12. Slavic
  13. Indefiniteness and imperfectivity as micro-grammatical contexts of epistemicity in German-Slovene translations 119
  14. The connections between modality, aspectuality, and temporality in Modern Russian 147
  15. Aspectual coercion in Bulgarian negative imperatives 175
  16. Russian modals možet 'can' and dolžen 'must' selecting the imperfective in negative contexts 197
  17. African
  18. Tense, mood, and aspect in Gungbe (Kwa) 215
  19. The modal system of the Igbo language 241
  20. Asian
  21. The aspect-modality link in the Japanese verbal complex and beyond 279
  22. The aspect-modality link in Japanese: The case of the evaluating sentence 309
  23. Amerindian
  24. The Lakota aspect/modality markers - kinica and tkhá 331
  25. Creole
  26. A note on modality and aspect in Saramaccan 359
  27. Diachronic
  28. Aspects of a reconstruction of form and function of modal verbs in Germanic and other languages 371
  29. The autopsy of a modal – insights from the historical development of German 385
  30. Index of authors 417
  31. Index of subjects 419
https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.79.26kot

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors vii
  4. Preface ix
  5. Introduction: Aspect-modality interfaces and interchanges across languages xi
  6. General
  7. On the logic of generalizations about cross-linguistic aspect-modality links 3
  8. The silent and aspect-driven patterns of deonticity and epistemicity: A chapter in diachronic typology 15
  9. Propositional aspect and the development of modal inferences in English 43
  10. Towards an understanding of the progressive form in English: The Imperative as a heuristic tool 81
  11. Epistemic modality and aspect contingency in Armenian, Russian, and German 97
  12. Slavic
  13. Indefiniteness and imperfectivity as micro-grammatical contexts of epistemicity in German-Slovene translations 119
  14. The connections between modality, aspectuality, and temporality in Modern Russian 147
  15. Aspectual coercion in Bulgarian negative imperatives 175
  16. Russian modals možet 'can' and dolžen 'must' selecting the imperfective in negative contexts 197
  17. African
  18. Tense, mood, and aspect in Gungbe (Kwa) 215
  19. The modal system of the Igbo language 241
  20. Asian
  21. The aspect-modality link in the Japanese verbal complex and beyond 279
  22. The aspect-modality link in Japanese: The case of the evaluating sentence 309
  23. Amerindian
  24. The Lakota aspect/modality markers - kinica and tkhá 331
  25. Creole
  26. A note on modality and aspect in Saramaccan 359
  27. Diachronic
  28. Aspects of a reconstruction of form and function of modal verbs in Germanic and other languages 371
  29. The autopsy of a modal – insights from the historical development of German 385
  30. Index of authors 417
  31. Index of subjects 419
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