Epistemic modality : functional properties and the Italian system / Paola Pietrandrea.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pietrandrea, Paola.

Series:

Studies in language companion series, 0165-7763 ; v. 74

Studies in Language Companion Series ; 74

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Italian language--Modality.

Italian language.

Italian language--Semantics.

Epistemics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 232 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; Philadelphia : John Benjamins Pub., 2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This volume offers an original theoretical and methodological approach to the hotly debated issue of epistemic modality. The analysis is conducted in a rigorous typological frame developed after a careful consideration of a wealth of cross-linguistic data, and focuses on Italian, a language often disregarded in comparative analyses. The complexity of the Italian epistemic system provides relevant information that will undoubtedly foster a better understanding of the topic. A new definition of epistemic modality is proposed on a functional basis and the structure of the Italian epistemic system.

Contents:

Epistemic Modality Functional properties and the Italian system

Editorial page

Title page

Copyright page

Table of contents

ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION

1. The theoretical approach

2. The structure of the book

3. Data

I. THE NOTIONAL CATEGORY OF EPISTEMIC MODALITY

1. Introductory remarks

2. The boundaries of (epistemic) modality

2.1 Deontic and epistemic modality

2.2 Mood and modality

2.3 Illocution and modality

2.4 Reality status and modality

2.5 Evidentiality and modality

3. Modality as a non-designative category

4. Modality and subjectivity

4.1 Performativity

4.2 Meta-propositionality

4.3 Genuine Epistemicity

5. A working definition

II. A TYPOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION OF EPISTEMIC SYSTEMS

1. Parameters

2. Specific vs. parasitic markers

3. One form vs. degrees of certainty

4. Genuine epistemicity vs. inferential evidentiality

5. Reportive, modalized and complex evidential systems

6. Degrees of performativity

7. Summary

III. EPISTEMIC MODALITY IN ITALIAN

2. Epistemic forms

3. Grammaticality scales

4. Grammaticalized epistemic forms

5. Summary

IV. SEMANTIC OPPOSITIONS

2. Degrees of certainty

2.1. DEVE "must" vs. PUÔ "can

2.2. Degrees of certainty and inference conditions. DEVE "must" vs. DOVREBBE "should

3. The epistemic-deonttc axis

3.1 The asymmetry between dovere "muss" and potere "can

3.2 PUÔ "can" vs. PPTREBBE "could

4. Evidentialiy and epistemic modality. The opposition between modals and epistemic future

4.1 The evidential nature of DEVE "must

4.2 The evidential nature of the other modals

4.2.1 DOVREBBE "Should

4.2.2 PUò "can" and POTREBBE "could

4.3 The epistemic nature of the future

5. Summary.

V. A TYPOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF ITALIAN EPISTEMIC MODALITY

2. Parasitic forms

3. Three degrees of certainty

4. The distinction between genuine epistemicity and inferential evidentiality

5. A complex evidential system

6. Low performativity

VI. INFLECTIONAL AND DISTRIBUTIONAL CONSTRAINTS. THE (LOW) PERFORMATIVITY OF ITALIAN EPISTEMIC MODALITY

1. Introductory Remarks

2. Constraints on the tense. The (low) performativity of Italian epistemic forms

2.1 Past tense

2.2 Future tense

2.3 Low performativity and the evidential nature of modals

3. Constraints on the personal inflection. Speech situation and epistemic control

3.1 DEVE, PUÔ, and the epistemic future

3.2 DOVREBBE and POTREBBE

4. Constraints on the distributton

4.1 Conditional constructtons

4.2 Interrogative contexts

VII. ASPECTUAL CONSTRAINTS ON THE PROPOSITIONAL CONTENT

2. Tools of analysis. Actional class and aspect

3. Stativity of the propositional content

4. The aspect of the propositional content

4.1 Progressives

4.2. Habituais

4.3 Perfects

5. Conclusions

5.1. Asymmetries among epistemic forms

5.2. The incompleteness of the propositional content

5.3 A topological representation of aspeccual lncompleteness

VIII. THE INCOMPLETENESS OF THE PROPOSITIONAL CONTENT AND THE METAPROPOSITIONALITY OF EPISTEMIC MODALITY

2. Semantic projections on complements

3. Incompleteness as an index of metapropositionality. A hypothesis

4. Linguistic relevance of the distinction between predications and propositions

5. The incompleteness of Italian propositional complements

5.1 Propositional predicates

5.2 The incompleteness of the infinitives governed by sapere.

5.3 The incompleteness of the infinitives governed by dire

6. The aspectual completeness of predicational complements

6.1 Predicational predicates

6.2 The aspectual completeness of the infinitives governed by predicates of perception and practical manipulation

6.3 Refinements: the destativizaiion of some predicaiional complements

7. Incompleteness as an index of simultaneity with the ongoing speech process

7.1 The self-referentiality of linguistic tense. The enenciation process and other linguistic temporal references

7.2 The semiotic meaning of incompleteness

8. Typological validity of the relation between incompleteness and propositionality

9. Summary

IX. A DIACHRONIC HYPOTHESIS

2. Background

2.1 The semantic relation between the deontic and the epistemic meaning of modals

2.2 The semantic relation between the temporal and the epistemic meaning of the future

2.3 Diachronic evidence

3. A new reconstructivist hypothesis

4. Summary

CONCLUSIONS

NOTES

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

BIBLIOGRAPHY

SUBJECT INDEX.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [217]-229) and index.

ISBN:

9786613092403

9781283092401

1283092409

9789027285348

9027285349

OCLC:

713026640