Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Invariantist ‘might’ and modal meaning change

A reply to Braun (2012)

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Linguistics and Philosophy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Invariantism proposed by Braun (Linguistics and Philosophy 35(6):461–489, 2012) aims to maintain full identity of semantic content between all uses of ‘might’. I invoke well-known facts regarding diachronic change in meanings of modals to argue that invariantism commits us to implausible duplication of familiar processes of lexical semantic change on the level of “lexical pragmatics”, with no obvious payoff.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Braun, D. (2012). An invariantist theory of ‘might’ might be right. Linguistics and Philosophy, 35(6), 461–489.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bybee, J. L., Perkins, R., & Pagliuca, W. (1994). The evolution of grammar: Tense, aspect and modality in the languages of the world. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

  • Horn L. R., Bayer S.: Short-circuited implicature: A negative contribution. Linguistics and Philosophy 7, 397–414 (1984)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacFarlane J.: Nonindexical contextualism. Synthese 166, 231–250 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nordlinger R., Traugott E. C.: Scope and the development of epistemic modality: Evidence from ought to. English Language Linguistics 1(2), 295–317 (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  • Plank F.: The modals story retold. Studies in Language 8(3), 305–364 (1984)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Searle, J. (1975). Indirect speech acts. In P. Cole & J. Morgan (Eds.), Syntax and semantics 3: Speech acts (pp. 59–82). New York: Academic Press.

  • Traugott, E. C., & Dasher, R. B. (2002). Regularity in semantic change volume~96 of Cambridge studies in linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

  • van der Auwera J., Plungian V.: Modality’s semantic map. Linguistic Typology 2(1), 79–124 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yanovich, I. (2013). Standard contextualism strikes back. Journal of Semantics. doi:10.1093/jos/ffs022.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MIT Linguistics and Philosophy, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Bldg. 32-D808, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Igor Yanovich

Authors
  1. Igor Yanovich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Igor Yanovich.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yanovich, I. Invariantist ‘might’ and modal meaning change. Linguist and Philos 36, 175–180 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10988-013-9133-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10988-013-9133-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation