[Lingtyp] Moods and non-finites?

[Christian Lehmann]

Dear Jussi,

interesting question, and complicated because it is both an empirical 
question and relates to the definition of 'mood'. Since this is a 
grammatical concept, it is of necessity hybrid, i.e. it comprises 
structural and functional criteria. Both sets should be homogeneous in 
order to create a unified concept.

As for structural criteria, you might define 'mood' in such a way that 
whatever is marked on non-finite verb forms is not a mood. It may then 
turn out that you used a structural criterion which lacks a 
straightforward functional correlate; i.o.w., that you delimited the 
concept in an arbitrary way.

If, on the other hand, your research interest is about mood 
phenomenology, you may start with a concept that is rather liberal on 
the structural side. But then you have to operationalize the functional 
criteria composing your concept in such a way that you can recognize a 
mood wherever it occurs, even in a non-finite verb form. If the 
functional criteria composing the concept of mood lack a common 
denominator, you can expect to also find heterogeneity on the structural 
side. 'Mood' is such a concept whose functional side is not unified. 
(Think of the various subdivisions of 'subjective' vs. 'objective mood' 
etc.)

This being said, another morphological category which is functionally a 
mood and structurally coded on non-finite verbs is the Latin gerundive 
(distinct from the gerund). It is only found in verbal adjectives and - 
in many, though not all of its uses - conveys debitive mood.

A potentially fruitful approach might therefore be: Classify moods found 
in languages by the structural criterion of their morphological locus 
and then look, in a semasiological perspective, what these morphological 
categories express. If you are lucky, it may turn out that only a subset 
of moods is coded on non-finite verbs and that there is a common 
functional denominator for this subset.

Best,
Christian
-- 

Prof. em. Dr. Christian Lehmann
Rudolfstr. 4
99092 Erfurt
Deutschland

Tel.: 	+49/361/2113417
E-Post: 	christianw_lehmann at arcor.de
Web: 	https://www.christianlehmann.eu
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lingtyp/attachments/20230714/19caa5d6/attachment.htm>