Overview

This volume offers an original theoretical and methodological approach to the hotly debated issue of epistemic modality. The analysis is conducted in a rigorous typological frame developed after a careful consideration of a wealth of cross-linguistic data, and focuses on Italian, a language often disregarded in comparative analyses. The complexity of the Italian epistemic system provides relevant information that will undoubtedly foster a better understanding of the topic. A new definition of epistemic modality is proposed on a functional basis and the structure of the Italian epistemic system is closely described. The morpho-syntactic characteristics of Italian epistemic forms are regarded as the result of the dialectic between universal functional pressures and peculiar system resistances. Shaped by the system, epistemic modality emerges as an intrinsically linguistic category, which cannot be downsized to a mere conceptual notion, as other approaches would propose.

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9789027230843

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This book is a very valuable contribution to the discussion on modality from a functional perspective, which is some parts presents data that should be of interest to anyone researching modality. In the opening chapters, the author reveals a good instinct for topics which are currently relevant in the discussion of modality. In chapters 6 and 7 she comes up with an in-depth analysis of the relationship between modality and other grammatical categories, particularly aspectuality, resulting in the presentation of intriguing data and hypotheses. -- Heiko Narrog, Tohoku University, on Linguist List 17-1542, 2006

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