Docs / Semantics / Modality / Typology

Modal items

import Linglib.Semantics.Modality.Typology · namespace Modality

Source

A modal item pairs a form with the force-flavor pairs it can express, the representation of a modal's meaning in Imel, Guo and Steinert-Threlkeld's analysis of modal typology, and records the register of the form. A modal auxiliary's entry extends it and a modal adverb's instantiates it directly. Two items form a Horn scale when they differ in force and share a flavor.

Main definitions

References

A modal item is the shared core of an expression carrying modal meaning, which ModalAuxiliary extends and which a modal adverb's entry instantiates directly.

structure ModalItemL32–41
:
Type
  • form : String
  • meaning : Finset ForceFlavor

    The force-flavor pairs the item can express, in an upward-entailing context, or, for an item confined to non-affirmative contexts, as English auxiliary need and dare are, in the contexts that admit it.

  • register : SocialMeaning.Register

Derives DecidableEq.

Used by ModalItem.Epistemic, ModalItem.Circumstantial, ModalItem.forces, ModalItem.flavors, ModalItem.forcesOf, ModalItem.VariesForce, ModalItem.VariesFlavor, ModalItem.classical, ModalItem.forces_classical, ModalItem.flavors_classical, ModalItem.Scalemates, ModalItem.HasScalemate, ModalItem.instDecidableScalemates, ModalItem.instDecidableHasScalemate

Used in Fragments/Dutch/Modals, Fragments/English/Adverbs, Fragments/Gitksan/Modals, Fragments/Greek/StandardModern/Modals, Fragments/Hungarian/Modals and 22 more

L68
L70
L72
L74

Two modals are scalemates, forming a Horn scale, when their lexical forces lex differ on the classical scale and they share a flavour: only quantifiers over the same domain form a scale (Deal 2011 §2.1). A modal with a weaker scalemate leaves the weaker force to it (Grano 2026 §4.5).

def ModalItem.ScalematesL89–94
(lex : ModalItem → ModalForce) (m m' : ModalItem) :
Prop

Built from ,

Used by ModalItem.HasScalemate, ModalItem.instDecidableScalemates

Used in Cable2017, Grano2026