On modal tenses and tensed modals

Brenda Laca

On modal tenses and tensed modals

In: Building a bridge between linguistic communities of the Old and the New World

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Brenda Laca

Brenda Laca Université Paris 8, CNRS UMR 7023-SFL

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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 163–198

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789401208345_010

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This paper is devoted to the interaction between temporal configuration and the interpretation of modal verbs in French and Spanish, two languages that exhibit wider and more transparent morphological options than English, but diverge from each other in significant ways. I show that mere backward-shifting of the time of the modal is not sufficient for conveying a counterfactuality implicature, and call into question the hypothesis that counterfactual and epistemic construals constitute a genuine ambiguity. It is suggested that, when assessing statements involving scheduled or foreclosed events, we need to take a third time into account, the “time of decidedness”, over and above the time of modal evaluation and the time of the event, and that perfect (or perfective) morphology with modals –whether realized on the modal or on the dependent infinitive- may have the effect of signaling that the issue is decided at the time of evaluation.

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Building a bridge between linguistic communities of the Old and the New World

Current research in tense, aspect, mood and modality

Series: Cahiers Chronos, Volume: 25 and Cahiers Chronos Online, Volume: 25

Cover Building a bridge between linguistic communities of the Old and the New World

E-Book ISBN:: 9789401208345

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 01 Jan 2012

Subjects
- Languages and Linguistics

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On modal tenses and tensed modals

Citation Info

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Building a bridge between linguistic communities of the Old and the New World

Current research in tense, aspect, mood and modality

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