Washo Modal Inventory #
Modal expressions from Washo (isolate), based on [Boc15b] and [Boc15c].
Washo is a key counterexample to the SAV universal ([Nau08]): the modal verb -eʔ expresses both possibility and necessity with both epistemic and deontic flavors, varying on both axes simultaneously. Despite this, -eʔ satisfies the IFF universal ([STIG23]): its meaning is the full Cartesian product {necessity, possibility} × {epistemic, deontic}.
-eʔ — variable-force, variable-flavor modal verb. Expresses epistemic and deontic modality with both weak and strong force. Counterexample to SAV: varies on both axes. Satisfies IFF: the meaning is {necessity, possibility} × {epistemic, deontic}.
Equations
- Washo.Modals.modalEq = { form := "-eʔ", meaning := [Washo.Modals.ne✝, Washo.Modals.nd✝, Washo.Modals.pe✝, Washo.Modals.pd✝] }