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Evolution of English Modals and Auxiliaries: A Linguistic Analysis

Explore the transformation of modals and auxiliaries in the English language, focusing on the emergence of new modal forms and their structural changes over time. Dive into the dynamic, deontic, and epistemic aspects of core modals, investigating their movement to T and C positions within sentences. Learn about the principles dictating modals and discover the blurred lines between core modals and semi-modals, highlighting the intricate features of English auxiliary verbs. Delve into the historical background and the latest trends in modal usage, shedding light on the evolving nature of English language mechanics.

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Evolution of English Modals and Auxiliaries: A Linguistic Analysis

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  1. A Modal Cycle and thoughts on third factors Elly van Gelderen CGSW, Konstanz, June 2019 Ppt is available at: http://www.public.asu.edu/~gelderen/lect.htm

  2. Outline background to modals and introduction to the new modals cartographic structure for the core modals and the semi-modals, and movement to T and C. emerging class of mighta, coulda, woulda, shoulda, and musta: movement and feature checking through minimal search. orthographic variants of –a. third factor principles involved in modals and auxiliaries in general, labeling and indeterminacy.

  3. Core modals

  4. Dynamic, deontic, epistemic (1) a. Ic sceal hraðe cunnan hwæt ðu us to duguðum gedon wille. `I must know quickly what you want to do to benefit us.’ (Andreas 341, Vercelli Book) b. No þe laðes ma þurh daroða gedrep gedon motan. `No more injury will they be allowed to do to you through the stroke of darts.’ (Andreas 1443, Vercelli) c. Þis mihte beon geseald to myclum wurþe & þearfum gedæled. `This might have been sold for much and given to the poor.’ (Corpus Christi MS, Matthew 26.9)

  5. Leech (2003: 223) “English modal auxiliaries as a group have been declining significantly in their frequency of use”. 1961 and 1991: decline of 10% modals are all not acting in the same way, e.g. may increases its epistemic use but should does not. increase in the use of semi-modals? Leech et al (2009: 78) argue that the picture is more complex and that core modals still outnumber semi-modals.

  6. a trend towards monosemy?

  7. Spoken (COCA): may and might

  8. Spoken (COCA): gonna and wanna Puzzle

  9. Adverbs? Perhaps Probably (but down in COCA)

  10. Ctd Possibly Necessarily

  11. From core modal to verb

  12. Modals are always in flux Shoulda Coulda Woulda by Matthew David MorrisI go crazy just thinking bout yaShoulda coulda woulda loveOn the daily just wondering whatI shoulda coulda woulda doneCause you stood by me through whateverAnd I coulda treated you betterI go crazy just thinking bout yaMy shoulda coulda woulda love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPhU_GjmP7w (.48)

  13. Brian McKnight I know I shoulda, yeahI know I woulda, yeah (All the things I coulda done)I know I coulda been a better man (All the things I shoulda done)Said I shoulda woulda coulda, yeah (Sayin' shoulda woulda coulda, yeah)I know I shoulda, yeah (Yeah)I know I woulda, yeah (Cooulda woulda shoulda)I know I coulda been a better manSaid I shoulda woulda coulda, yeah (Yeah)

  14. And some self-help

  15. Early new modals (2) a. þat wald a don me o mi lijf `that would have taken my life' (a1300, Cursor Mundi, Cotton 5284). b. Syr, in good fayth Y am sory therefor, for and Y had west that ye would a taked so sory `Sir, in good faith, I am sorry for it, if I had known that you would have taken it so badly' (Cely Letters, William Maryon, anno 1480). c. there xuld not a be do so mykele. `There should not have been done so much' (Paston Letters, I, #205,1469, Margaret Paston).

  16. Current new modals (3) a. And it's not like I coulda not have killed a gastropod. (2015 https://steamcommunity.com/app/105600/discussions/0/530646080846937998/) b. I shoulda just have kept her as a friend. (Twitter 2019) c. This research musta have been made just after sehri. (Twitter 2018) d. it mighta have created the trolling (Twitter 2017) e. Woulda have missed it if not for this tweet! (Twitter 2018)

  17. Woulda without have (4) a. I woulda be mad if I was going to heaven and y’all bring me back (Twitter 2019) b. Woulda do good wid 2 barbeque zingers right now. (Twitter 2019) • Hah, do ye think that I woulda be doing all for yous if I didn'ta care? d. Don't know which country I wouldahave to go hide for Berris not to find me. e. Yes, I woulda agree its time for Laura Hoffmiester to get off the council (iWEB)

  18. Shoulda • a. ishoulda be in Las vegas (Twitter 2019) b. Shoulda be able to tap it the same as the leap card machine. (Twitter 2019) c. Kylie you shoulda go have a feast! (Twitter 2019) • He shoulda be the one taking yous home. e. I Shoulda Be On My Merry Way `I should be on my merry way.’ (lyric title, Earl Hines)

  19. Coulda (6) a. wish my dawg coulda be here. (Twitter 2019) b. She coulda be toxic as hell lol (Twitter 2019) c. Then... playing with the shots you coulda obtain " certain " effects (iWEB) d. How you coulda ever face her and say … (COCA 2017 Fiction)

  20. Mighta (7) a. I mighta get a backpack instead, it'll make …(Twitter 2018) b. Look like a regular beating to me.. and ya never know what he mighta do or say (Twitter 2017) c. u mighta see me smilin but em cryin inside. (Twitter 2015) d. the fact that we MIGHTA go to disney for ashleys birthday in november is filling me up with joy and excitement (Twitter 2017)

  21. Musta (8) a. hello musta see you feb 20 (Twitter Jan 2018) b. And stop altering my post, you musta think is a joke, I’m very serious. c. You musta think that …? (iWEB) d. Manholes musta be constructed of two-course brick masonry laid in cement mortar … (1911, City Council of the City of Bloomington, Illinois)

  22. To T and C? more on HO in (9) – (11)) (9) I mightanot be the same But that's not important (Twitter 2016) (10) Harden coulda probably be a pinch runner for the Astros (Twitter 2015) (11) a. When shoulda I expect your call? (Twitter 2019)

  23. The structure (of core and semi-modals) Quirk et al 1985: 235; Coates 1983; Abraham 1998; 2002; van Gelderen 2004; Eide 2005: 299 Deontics are low:

  24. Where is T in the Cinque hierarchy: Modepistemic probably Modirrealis perhaps Modneccessity necessarily Modpossibility possibly Modvolitional intentionally Do all modals move to T?

  25. Optional around the AP (12) a. I could probably help you market your app. (COCA spoken 2017) b. I probably could have been dead that night. (COCA spoken 2015) (13) a. the only way that he could possibly guarantee that his son avoided jail time (COCA spoken 2017) b. So we possibly could be looking at not guilty by reason of insanity (COCA spoken 2017)

  26. Movement across lower APs is more common than across higher ones For which I have no answer and RAH is not relevant.

  27. Semi-modals are interesting because of –a: DM in the first 4; EM in the last 3 (14) a. Do I really hafta wait TWO MORE HOURS to see this? (Twitter 2018) b. That oughta distract them. (Twitter 2018) c. cause I didn't wanna scare him like that. (COCA spoken 2017) d. I needa get one of these British accents (Twitter 2012) (15) a. Yep, it's gonna be good stuff. (COCA spoken 2017) b. We have an overcast day today that looks like it wants to rain. (Nesselhauf 2012:115). c. Do you have coolers? … They wanna be on the top shelves somewhere. (Krug 2000: 149-50)

  28. No agreement with some semi-modals (16) something she wanna tell me (COCA fiction 2013) (17) She gonna have problems, right? (COCA spoken 2011)

  29. And –a is addictive (18) a. Weed n alcohol seemsta satisfy us all (Twitter 2010) b. Well everything seemsta be gettin better (Twitter 2009) c. he seemsta stay pretty upbeat (Twitter 2017) (19) a. I'd likta smash this blackberry with a hammer. (Twitter 2016) b. I likta move it move it, she likta move it move it, he likta move it move it (Twitter 2013)

  30. Words ending in –a: –a sickness/love mighta, coulda, woulda, shoulda, and musta Oughta, hafta, wanna, gonna, gotta Seemta, suposta, liketa But also: Sorta, kinda Coupla minutes Because (of) X

  31. Affix-hop for core modals: Minimal Search

  32. Lowest has i-F Interpretable features are more easily acquired in L1 (Radford 2000; van Gelderen 2011): -wiping baby chin, shaking, peeking Mommy, eating, squeezing, screaming, walking -I guess it broken (from Allison 2;10, Bloom 1973) and L2 (Tsimpli & Dimitrakopoulou 2007) acquisition and retained in situations of language contact (Walkden & Breitbarth 2019).

  33. Epistemic with [u-asp]

  34. Epistemic with u-mood

  35. Modal > `Clitic’-stage > new modal MODAL > MODAL-a (+ part) [i-fut]/[u-mood] [i-fut]/[u-asp] MODAL-a (+ participle) > MODAL-a (+ inf) [i-fut]/[u-asp] [i-fut]/[u-mood] OR clitic is phonological and just the form has changed, not the features.

  36. American English I have did/saw/went So probably checking of T is unclear. Perhaps, just perfective/past. Eide (2016: 26): ModE just +/- past

  37. EM or DM; same as core modal

  38. Summary

  39. A footnote: competition (20) a. he wouldav dropped it anyway (Twitter 2015) b. he should av called her to order (Twitter 2018) … (21) a. They wouldof crucified you if not for this being exposed. (Twitter 2019) b. She should of kept her mouth closed (Twitter 2018)

  40. And as new modal (22) He inconsistent as hell..shouldof not have been that #3 pick years ago. (Twitter 2012) (23) @TaskVoris I shouldav have beaten you that last game. (Twitter 2012) But no infinitive (yet).

  41. Various forms

  42. Interim conclusion Core modals are losing ground, but semi-modals aren’t gaining a lot New modals: very rare compared to core ones, e.g. Could have 15136 – coulda 18 (COCA sp) Should have 11430 – shoulda 24 Featural changes, but behaving like core modals in movement to T and C

  43. Transitional modal vs new modal: movement to T vs to C She woulda probably gone *Woulda she caught? I shoulda not have done/do it. Shoulda I have expected/expect? This is perhaps suggestive of phasal interference

  44. Third factors Minimize Universal Grammar and use “principles not specific to FL [the Faculty of Language]. Some of the third factor principles have the flavor of the constraints that enter into all facets of growth and evolution.... Among these are principles of efficient computation”. (Chomsky 2007: 3) Minimal Search, Labeling, Indeterminacy, and Economy

  45. Indeterminacy Within a WorkSpace [read phase], there can be only one object X, “avoiding indeterminate rule application” (Chomsky, Ott, Gallego 2017: 20; Chomsky 2015). Two copies of `who’ in: a. *Who did pictures of please you? b. [CP who [C-did [TP [pictures of who] [T [vP [pictures of who] [v [ please you]]]]]]].

  46. Hence expletives a. Wat hebbener [watvoormensen] je moederbezocht? what have-3PL there for people your mother visited b. *Wat hebben [watvoormensen] je moederbezocht? what have-3PL for people your mother visited `What kinds of people visited your mother?’ (Broekhuis 2006: 64; 65)

  47. Labeling The Labeling Algorithm is “a special case of minimal search” seeking “heads H within its search domain” (Chomsky 2015: 6). Forced movement of XP, YP or feature-sharing

  48. M to T violates indeterminacy

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