Home » Modality and Theory of Mind Elements across Languages
Product Image

Modality and Theory of Mind Elements across Languages

€194.06
Title
Quantity:
In stock with our UK publisher. 14-28 days
Delivery/Collection within 10-20 working days
14 days return policy Shipping & Delivery
Category=CFD
Category=CFF
Category=CFG
eq_bestseller
eq_dictionaries-language-reference
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
Modality

Product details

  • ISBN 9783110270198
  • Weight: 825g
  • Dimensions: 155 x 230mm
  • Publication Date: 18 May 2012
  • Publisher: De Gruyter
  • Publication City/Country: DE
  • Product Form: Hardback
Secure checkout Fast Shipping Easy returns
Description

Modality is the way a speaker modifies her declaratives and other speech acts to optimally assess the common ground of knowledge and belief of the addressee with the aim to optimally achieve understanding and an assessment of relevant information exchange.

In languages such as German (and other Germanic languages outside of English), this may happen in covert terms. Main categories used for this purpose are modal adverbials ("modal particles") and modal verbs. Epistemic uses of modal verbs (like German sollen) cover evidential (reportative) information simultaneously providing the source of the information.

Methodologically, description and explanation rest on Karl Bühler's concept of Origo as well as Roman Jakobson's concept of shifter. Typologically, East Asian languages such as Japanese pursue these semasiological fundaments far more closely than the European languages. In particular, Japanese has to mark the source of a statement in the declarative mode such that the reliability may be assessed by the hearer.

The contributions in this collection provide insight into these modal techniques.
About

Werner Abraham, Vienna University, Austria, and Munich University, Germany; Elisabeth Leiss, Munich University, Germany.