Modal Syntax and Semantics: Concord and Multiple Modals
Abstract
This thesis examines two issues related to modal elements, modal concord and the presence of multiple modal auxiliaries. I claim that when two modal elements are interpreted in concord, they are joined via predicate modification at LF, and when modal elements are not interpreted in concord they are joined via functional application at LF. I provide evidence that modal auxiliaries are not merged in the T0 of the syntactic structure, but rather in a recursive modal phrase directly below T0. When there is more than one modal auxiliary in a clause, they are each merged into their own modal phrase.
Description
Keywords
Education--Language and Literature, Linguistics, Language--Modern
Citation
Lewis, B. (2017). Modal Syntax and Semantics: Concord and Multiple Modals (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26929