Scope and the development of epistemic modality: evidence fromought to

Abstract

Discussions of modality (e.g. Bybee, Perkins & Pagliuca, 1994; Coates, 1983; Lyons, 1977; Palmer, 1986; Traugott, 1989) typically center around two issues: deonticity vs. epistemicity, and degree of subjectivity. Using diachronic evidence from the quasi-modal ought to, this paper argues for the need to recognize a third, crosscutting these two: narrow vs. wide scope. We argue that the epistemic use of ought to developed out of a wide-scope deontic construction, in which the modal was used with deontic meaning, but with propositional scope (contra Bybee, 1988). Rather than attributing an obligation to the subject (i.e. having narrow scope), the modal in this construction makes an assertion about the proposition as a whole, like an epistemic. However, such ought to constructions are found some four hundred years before the first epistemic examples, and thus can be shown to be distinct from epistemic uses (contra Gamon, 1994).

A history of English evidential verbs of appearance

“…We would argue, following Traugott & König (1991), Hopper & Traugott (1993: chapter 4), and Nordlinger & Traugott (1997), that the development of evaluative modality out of evidential modality involves pragmatic strengthening, with the implicature present in the evidential modality eventually becoming conventionalized.…”

“…From these observations she goes on to hypothesize that semantic change is unidirectional and that subjectivization is an inherent part of the development of epistemic modal meanings. Nordlinger & Traugott (1997) weaken this position to an extent: they claim that subjectivization is orthogonal to the development of modal meanings, although it can be associated with different stages in the development of modal meanings. Traugott & Dasher (2002) discuss the relationship between semantic bleaching and pragmatic strengthening.…”

“…The evaluative senses arguably involve speaker-oriented and subjective inferences or meanings. Given that the development of epistemic modality is widely accepted to involve an increase in subjectivity (Nordlinger & Traugott, 1997;Sweetser, 1990;Traugott, 1989), and given that the evaluative senses are similar to epistemic meanings (thus Aikhenvald's 'epistemic extensions'), it would be interesting to see whether the development of evaluative meanings in these evidentials involves a similar increase in subjectivity. We shall see below that the development of subjectivity can be factored out from the development of evaluative meanings.…”

“What bees to be maun be”

“…Bybee, Perkins and Pagliuca 1994;Nordlinger and Traugott 1997: 296;Shepherd 1982: 320-2). A more extensive review than is possible here of the historical development of the modals in English can be found in: Allan (1987); Anderson (1976); De la Cruz (1997); Goossens (1982;1996); Hanson (1987); Kytö (1991); Lieber (1982); Lightfoot (1974;Nagle (1989;; Nordlinger and Traugott (1997); Plank (1984); Shepherd (1982); Traugott (1972; and Warner (1990). of the colonising dialects, it seems likely that the northern IrE target for SArI speakers acquiring English as a second language in the modern period may not have provided the relevant morphosyntactic material for the transfer of their conceptual epistemic/deontic contrast.…”

Modal Concord: A Case Study of Dutch

“…To the best of my knowledge, there is no evidence that points in this direction. This is in spite of the fact that there is already quite a lot of diachronic research done (Sweetser 1990, Nordlinger & Traugott 1997. One would expect that if there were a modal Jespersen…”