aepet ow lens ob Arete qiethBechen INGELIKA KRATZER hhe Notional Category of Modality stoducton TPayresing Modality fn German Base Newons| Grades of Possiilry Foo Basic Kinds of Mod Reasoning | The Quest for Cerny | Approaching Weal Paco Inference Condoms Conclusion mold be snow ne ta 9 atm ci wer ish cr te waa introduction * bch 2h Cale bran Gab 2), aya (2 Raawin ). Helbe . Me Nason Cugry ol Many 39 ~ What the logit of these incrpretations? = What i thee wsery due 0? ~ How is this vary restricted by the vocabulary of Gevman il? “These questions ae very machin the spirit of Gunnat Bech. Ishin, however, thar I a sna beter poscon today dian fe was! Tn modal loge 2 semantic {ramework as been developed las i nore sae Tor descr sing seman relacons between moval expressions than the tole availble tiny fears apo ‘Traditionally investigations of modality hve concentrated on express lke necessary, pou, mut, cam, should or may. Lil enon has beh paid the fat hae neural lngwopes have moans of grading sad comparing Possbiles. Farsheimore, condiionals are weully nor considered in coanes tion with modaly. Yer felauses very often serve wo rest modal in an ‘explicit or pic way. Tn what follows, [am eying to present unified analysis of modal, which inconporstes dose fact ‘any insights gained in separate examinations of some of these phenomens will then come out ar special cues ofa few very gsncrl prin, 1. Exproing Modaliy in Geran Maas guage. 110 do with necenity and posilcy. In German, ain other jee tre many ways emprestig thee wotons. Here ecco fot Inberet Modeiy (1) Nicmand laf in zebm Minaten von Andecbs nach Anfbasien, Nobod rans inten minutes from Andecbs to Aufbassen. (2) Dieses Ant fare seaneig Melon pro Stunde This eat goes tent les por bow (1) and 2) havea wedalized reading: (1) Nobody is able to ran fom Andecs to Ahonen in tom minut (2) This car cam go tomy lesa bo Sentences (1) and @) make explicit the mos element which seems vo be inheven inthe vers she ts origialsrenees, 12 Suffies om Adjerives There are ewo suffixes in German which often have a modal meaning ch sn -bar ‘Conair the following le, parts of which { borrowed fom Hermaan Pash.es he satiny conch seat en ce sna ies reir es fae sco fae sai Ses wis sreeelbe click Sgr in pri ‘be Sie ee, will die Wetter tao practise fei it nmble immer finite era oe coca ber fomatie berabe ie ete tn erry the sie lic andar exes psn, There ae cep he blr 2) Die ie fds Has dem Le ker ert Oi tt fete ene the Est ell amos eunsg Cadden, mbar om ten omar Tay ur, ple on heft of Jory Isis ot shat he wey girs b pi hy finn ce ea oe Heo! ony 1 Modal Aue “Te following auninrc are icectly connected with the noions of nsciy and pony mt i ite fe bl Ee = i ge i oi se car ha ‘ce o = we The Nate Caspr of May AL ‘The English tassios ae very cough approximations. The eat messing of most of these auilaries willbe cursed deal as we go along. | it ‘ded wird, a6 U was convinced by the arguments Heine Vater gives in is rice “Werden als Modalverd”. Mite, Renate, dif, wate, wind au Imdcbie are subjunctive forms of che eoreesponding verb on the lef They hes ave an independent meaning, 14 Sentence Adverbs and Impersonal Constructions miglicheroie possi rotwendigeruese fecearly Subracbevaich probably Paes ie est mglch def is pile that ‘rt note daft ‘a ecesay that ‘is teabrcbenlich dit is probable that re wed in sila function 1S Aaj Phrases imitende sin te beable in der Lage sein to bein the potion ‘Whse becomes obvious rom this seleton that hors ou mastic atgery somerponding so the notional eateory of maui Whac then modality? “The following sections te mean 2 shed some 1 on this question, 2. Bate Notions Most of wha have 2 say in hi action fou in mane dt in my ise {ation or in tlated artes lst in the bibliography. Anyone mho i already Familiar with my previous work on idle can tip whanever daes ov sound ew to him o her Tn order to sce what involved in mexainy ecw lok a che following example The Merder: Much-Girg) has been enurdered on his way home, The police sar in setiguions. Cran conlusions may be drawn from what kaown about the circumstances of the crime, Uweetces of the following seatnces are Tel ta have crud in sit sition(4) Der Kastnja hander Morder sn. The Rasen con the murderer be. Kanto nay be the murderer. (©) Der Gauaner-tcbl mah der Mérder sein. ‘Toe Gananer Mich! mast the murderer be. Gacener Michl mast be the murderer tu wen fy police ispetor same that is posi in vew of what is our tbo thc nude tat Kasten the marderer Some me ler, Ahem beter eedes svat se nwpectr cans n erg (Se Tinie isnccesary vow of wis Known abut chester that Gauze Miter “The cample shows hats ate igs oso he Hib cmdbuia the arom ne ets wh derma: Tos’ of he cqchan, fb ond Eine, th spect few s aronge conlasion an in ifs. Tn eatnple cove th convrsna acount wa bus fom, ont oft sory. Morals ae content Japan expeeson ine suspreaton depends on» suenenaoalbekgrownd wtih sully ae tepid by the utes ston: Only ocaonaly do'me we pres ide lew of what ts kon for lrg convertion backgrounds ‘Ft all ahs more prs, Chae to inteduce 3 fw neon of what hs besa eld "ponnble- work seman” Propostion: ‘Wn Lene ered the sentence (6) Bis ject ba? ic ir genus Bir weansffen Upto now hace! you tnongh ber booed any. he sheeby expressed a proposition. In posible mors semantics, 2 po (postion i idncted wa hem of pnuble words im which toe Te Fropostionespresed by Lenv's eran of (6 woul be the et ofl hose owe wos where Lena has dronk enough bee ia Fink's pb up 10th Teper ameranee Coup "Tc meaning of scnesce then dsb in peiyng which proposition is expres f the semerce i utered in sitaaon. Tec W be the cof all posnble works. A proposition i uber of W. That of « Propoion op p waa ina wold we if and ol tw ep. Osewin, eps |-loney the poner se of the power sex of W, which suger yal rata thos propestons whic ate Enown iy prem conversion | “Te Novo Camaro Maiey 43 Logical Consequence AX proposition p follows fom set of proposiion Ai and only i pe rue in ll words of W where all propos of A are uve Comite [Net of propostions A ie consent if, and only if, thee iss world in W hare all propodtons of Aare tue Logical Compas [x'proposiaon pis compatible with ast of propoiions A if, and only i, AGG) ita consent set of propostions Gooverational Reckgronnds ‘We koow aren that conversational background ise kind of enity which night be refered oby the uteance ofa phrase like wharf oz (we might Ignore thet sew afi). What is known i diferent from one possible ‘ror io another And what is known ins posible world sae of propos Hom. In our seman, ¢ converational bacground wil derelore be ‘construed a» foncon which asigas sete of propositions 0 posible wot ‘ipunalae- tie meating of wba i aoe wl be ir fncton rots Wns ny world w of W the itian example of an scground, We wl consider other kind of con- T wane © sy something about modal ‘The moet fanfiar of then relations ave simple necsisy and pont. Assume forthe following thf isan artitary converstnal background, that ibs Fantion fom posible worls ito sso propositions Simple Nees AA‘propostion is 2 simple necesty in 2 world w with respet 10 the con- \{ereanonal background ff and only it fellows fom Simple Posi {8 proporiuon 3 simple possibility in « world w with rexpect to the con ‘erstional background fly and only i it compatible wtf) ‘The obvious hing do now, ist lnk the meaning of the German modals corresponding to maat,necosariy i is wecesary tht, can, posiby or ‘pouible that to te notions {have dined sbove, We might want wo say ~ for Eximple~ thats cerain modal express ple mecesy. Lam going ope ‘ut for one example wha thi would mesa,