What is Imperceptive Modality? Cover Image

What is Imperceptive Modality?
What is Imperceptive Modality?

Author(s): Violetta Koseska-Toszewa, Natalia Kotsyba
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Instytut Slawistyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: Imperceptive Modality

Summary/Abstract: Imperceptivity is understood as expressing the speaker’s detachment from the content of the sentence, often through underlining the fact that the speaker was not a witness of the situation spoken about. The semantic structure of imperceptive sentences contains: 1. the semantic component says that; 2. speaker’s unawareness, which can be noted as the speaker does not know whether. . . ; 3. the necessity of the presence of an observer who is not identical with the speaker, whose opinion is the basis of the speech situation, while the speaker shows doubt concerning the truth of the presented content; 4. the possibility functor it is possible that. Examples from Bulgarian, Polish, Ukrainian and English are presented and the peculiarities of the usage of imperceptivity in those languages are discussed.

  • Issue Year: 2008
  • Issue No: 8
  • Page Range: 139-157
  • Page Count: 19
  • Language: English
Toggle Accessibility Mode