| Inferential Change and Syntactic Modality in English Contributor(s): Viereck, Wolfgang (Editor), Nagle, Stephen J. (Author), Viereck, Wolfgang (Author) |
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ISBN: 3631415893 ISBN-13: 9783631415894 Publisher: Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der W OUR PRICE: $39.85 Product Type: Paperback Published: January 1989 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Language Arts & Disciplines | Grammar & Punctuation - Foreign Language Study | English As A Second Language |
| Dewey: 425 |
| LCCN: 89164836 |
| Series: Europaische Hochschulschriften. Reihe XIV, Angelsachsische S |
| Physical Information: 144 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Because of the unique syntactic behavior of the English modal auxiliaries (e.g., lack of complementation), many generative grammarians have argued for the position that they are categorially distinct from verbs. This study addresses the resulting historical question of how English modals such as "may" and "must" split away from the verb system. Dr. Nagle proposes two discrete changes in the underlying grammar whose gradual surface ramifications appear to be syntactic -drift-. He further argues that whether a change's surface output proceeds gradually or rapidly depends on the strength and form of language learners' inferential decisions. Two such cognitive decisions underlie the gradual-then-rapid surface drift of the English modals." |