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Mood and Modality

Mood and Modality

Mood and Modality

2nd Edition
F. R. Palmer, University of Reading
May 2001
Paperback
9780521804790
£40.99
GBP
Paperback
GBP
Hardback

    Since the publication of F. R. Palmer's first edition of Mood and Modality in 1986, when the topic of 'modality' was fairly unfamiliar, there has been considerable interest in the subject as well as in grammatical typology in general. Modality is concerned with mood (subjunctive etc.) and with modal markers such as English modal verbs (can, may, must etc.) and is treated as a single grammatical category found in most of the languages of the world. In his investigation of this category, Palmer draws on a wealth of examples from a wide variety of languages. He discusses in detail familiar features in a number of mainly European languages, and also looks at less familiar features including 'evidential' systems and the contrast of realis/irrealis, both to be found in unrelated languages.

    • WRITTEN BY A PIONEER IN THE FIELD of modality
    • CONSIDERABLE INTEREST IN THE TOPIC OF MODALITY SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF Palmer's Mood and Modality (OVER 6000 COPIES SOLD)
    • BRINGS RESEARCH ON MODALITY more UP TO DATE

    Reviews & endorsements

    'These are complex areas … and as a basic guide to the problems and the terminology in the field this is a valuable book.' Raphael Salkie, MLR

    See more reviews

    Product details

    May 2001
    Paperback
    9780521804790
    260 pages
    230 × 154 × 18 mm
    0.423kg
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • Preface
    • Note on the text
    • List of abbreviations
    • 1. Introduction
    • 2. Modal systems: propositional modality
    • 3. Modal systems: event modality
    • 4. Modal systems and modal verbs
    • 5. Indicative and subjunctive
    • 6. Realis and Irrealis
    • 7. Subjunctive and irrealis
    • 8. Past tense as modal
    • References
    • Language index
    • General index.
      Author
    • F. R. Palmer , University of Reading