27.1047, Diss: English, Morphology, Syntax: Dagmar Machová: 'Polyfunctionality and the Ongoing History of English Modals'

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LINGUIST List: Vol-27-1047. Mon Feb 29 2016. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 27.1047, Diss: English, Morphology, Syntax: Dagmar Machová: 'Polyfunctionality and the Ongoing History of English Modals'

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Date: Mon, 29 Feb 2016 11:46:47
From: Dagmar Machová [machova at fhs.utb.cz]
Subject: Polyfunctionality and the Ongoing History of English Modals

 
Institution: Palacký University Olomouc 
Program: English Language 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2016 

Author: Dagmar Machová

Dissertation Title: Polyfunctionality and the Ongoing History of English Modals 

Dissertation URL:  http://theses.cz/id/91naus/Machova_D_-_Polyfunctionality_and_the_Ongoing_Hi

Linguistic Field(s): Morphology
                     Syntax

Subject Language(s): English (eng)


Dissertation Director(s):
Ludmila Veselovska

Dissertation Abstract:

This dissertation aims to prove a link between the semantics of modal elements
and formal properties. More precisely, it suggests the hypothesis that the
polyfunctionality of a modal element, i.e. the ability of a modal to
simultaneously express deontic and epistemic modalities, is in some languages
reflected by morphosyntactic properties that cannot be observed with any other
morphemes in the lexicon. The work focuses on English, and using a series of
empirical evidence, it demonstates that polyfunctionality is linked to the
absence of agreement –s and operator properties, i.e. the modal element
inverts in questions, is followed by a clausal negation, etc. The work deals
in detail with synchronic as well as with diachronic development of English
modals, focusing both on central modals (can, should, must, etc.) as well as
on marginal modal elements, such as dare, need, ought and on reduced modal
expressions gotta, gonna, wanna, and better. As for German modals, the work
proves that modal polyfunctionality in this language is related to the absence
of agreement.

The dissertation deals with central as well as marginal modals, such as dürfen
‘may’, können ‘can’, mögen ‘may’, werden ‘be, become’, brauchen ‘need’,
showing how semantics impacts the morphosyntactic properties of these
elements. The last section discusses polyfunctionality with Chinese modals and
demonstrates how polyfunctionality can contribute to a more systematic
analysis of Chinese modals.




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