The question about the grammaticalization process of the modal auxiliary verbs from Old English to Modern English is a highly discussed topic among linguistics and scholars today. It is undisputed that, in the English that is spoken today, words like 'should', 'could' etc. form a separate category, or rather a subcategory, 'modal' that does not only syntactically differ from the usual English verbs, but also morphologically. That is, of course with the exception of a few regional variations such as for example Scots, but since the main focus of this paper is on the standard British and American English dialects, those regional non-standard dialects will not be taken into consideration here.
For every native and average non-native speaker, it is natural that modals like 'will' for example don't take the obligatory inflectional ending -s in third person singular present. Or that 'should', 'would' or 'could' do not have past tense meaning, although the forms itself are actually a past form. And it is also natural that just those verbs, which we subcategorize as modals, will neither appear as infinitives with 'to' (*'I have to will'), nor do they require 'to' in combination with regular verbs (*'I should to go').
Today we instinctively know that those usual grammatical rules that regular verbs require to be followed in order to correctly be embedded in a sentence, don't apply to the modals. How did we get to this point, though?
In the following paper I want to take a closer look at how the modals developed from regularly inflectional verbs, that they still were in Old English, to this new category 'modal' which is no longer a full verb that can stand alone in a sentence, but more of a grammatical function that signals either epistemic or deontic meaning.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- A general outline of the history and function of the modals in the English language
- The grammaticalization – catastrophic or long-term change?
- The Pre-Modals in OE – Full verbs?
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to investigate the development of the modal auxiliary verbs from Old English to Modern English, analyzing their grammaticalization process and exploring whether this transformation was a gradual or a radical change. It also examines the status of pre-modals in Old English, discussing whether they were full verbs or not.
- The grammaticalization of modal auxiliary verbs
- The distinction between catastrophic and long-term change in language
- The status of pre-modals in Old English
- The role of the subjunctive mood in the development of modals
- The influence of the Great Vowel Shift on grammaticalization
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter sets the stage for the paper by introducing the topic of modal auxiliary verbs and their grammaticalization in the English language. It highlights the distinction between modals and other verbs, and emphasizes the need to understand the historical development of this grammatical category.
- A general outline of the history and function of the modals in the English language: This chapter provides a general overview of the history and function of modal auxiliary verbs in English. It explains how these verbs evolved from full verbs in Old English to their current status as grammatical markers. The chapter also discusses the role of the subjunctive mood and the impact of the Great Vowel Shift on the development of modals.
- The grammaticalization – catastrophic or long-term change?: This chapter focuses on the debate regarding the nature of the grammaticalization process of modals. It presents opposing views from David Lightfoot and Frans Plank, one arguing for a catastrophic change and the other for a long-term, gradual process. The chapter analyzes various changes that occurred in the development of modals, including the loss of direct objects, the disappearance of non-modal preterite-presents, and the introduction of the to-infinitive.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary keywords and focus topics of this work include modal auxiliaries, grammaticalization, catastrophic change, long-term change, pre-modals, subjunctive mood, Great Vowel Shift, direct objects, preterite-presents, to-infinitive, and the theories of David Lightfoot and Frans Plank.
- Quote paper
- Katharina Reese (Author), 2007, The Development of the English Modals, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/163254
