Voice and Modal Verbs in Estonian
Voice and Modal Verbs in Estonian

Summary/Abstract: The interaction of voice and modal verbs in Estonian confirms the impersonal nature of the basic voice opposition in Estonian and clarifies the constraints on impersonalization. In the voice system of Modern Estonian, active personal constructions contrast primarily with active impersonal constructions and resultative passive constructions. The existence of impersonal forms of most modal elements shows that impersonals are active indefinites, not passives, since modals almost universally resist passivization. The modals that lack impersonal forms are those that express necessity. However, this semantic pattern has a syntactic explanation. Verbs that do not allow a nominative subject do not have impersonal forms in Estonian. Most modals that express necessity do not govern nominative subjects, but instead code their actors as adessive obliques. The general connection between nominative subjects and impersonal forms is reinforced by the behaviour of a subclass of necessity modals that are characteristically used in the negative. Modals of this class, including tarvitsema ’need’ and pruukima ’need’, allow nominative subjects in negative contexts, and also have negative impersonal (but not affirmative impersonal) forms.

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