English modals

Terminology

I consider modals as being one of the following:

• verbs like "try", "want", "hope" that take an infinitive verb phrase, e.g. "try to study linguistics"
• verbs like "will", "would" that take a base verb phrase e.g. "would study linguistics"

For completeness, the "to" in infinitive verb phrases are modal type :to, and non-modal verbs are of type :none (i.e. not modals).

Examples

Consider these examples:

|-|-| | she studies | [she {:infl :present :modal :none}studies] | | she will study | [she [vp {:infl :base :modal :base}will [vp {:infl :base :modal :none}study]]] | | she wants to study | [she [vp {:infl :present :modal :infinitive}wants [vp {:to}to {:infl :base :modal :none}study]]] | | she will want to study | [she [vp {:infl :base :modal :base}will [vp {:infl :base :modal :infinitive}want [vp{:to}to {:infl :base :modal :none}study]]]] |

Syntax trees

With the following abbreviations:

• :infl(B=base,F=finite (e.g. :present))
• :modal(I=infinitive,N=none,T=to,B=base),

we have:

    s
   / \
she
       studies
       FN

       vp
      /  \
   will   study
   BI     BN

       vp
      /  \
   wants  vp
   FI    /  \
        to  study
        T   BN

       vp
    /      \
   will     vp
   B       /  \
         want  vp
         BI   /  \
             to  study
             T   BN
      vp
      / \
   will vp
   B   /  \
     want vp
     BI  /  \
        to  vp
         T  / \
          try vp
           BI / \
             to  study
              T  BN

Using the following abbreviations:

• FN: Finite inflection, Nonmodal

• FI: Finite inflection, Infinitive Modal

• T: to

• BN: Base inflection, Nonmodal

• BI: Base inflection, Infinitive Modal

• :infl(B=base,F=finite)

• :modal(I=infinitive,N=none,T=to,B=base),

The [:infl,:modal] possibilities shown in the above syntax trees are:

• [FN]
• [FI][T][BN]
• [B][BN]
• [B][BI][T][BN]
• [B][BI][T][BI][T][BN]

Or in regular expression form:

FN | ((FI T) | B) (BI T)* BN

Generalizations

• a top-level VP's head is always one of: {FN,FI,B}.
• a top-level VP's comp depends on the choice of which of these is chosen.
• the top-level's VP comp and all below it depends on this choice.

Lexical Rules

All verbs can be divided into one of these 3:

• B: Base Modals - will, would, could, etc

  • {:modal :base}
  • inflection
    • base inflection only
  • [:subcat :2]
    • [] (i.e. no :2]
    • BI
    • BN

• FI: Infinitive Modals: try, want, etc

  • {:modal :infinitive}
  • inflection
    • finite (FI)
    • base inflection (BI)
  • [:subcat :2]
    • [] (i.e. no :2)
    • T (i.e. to- phrases) e.g. "to study"

• N: nonmodals (study, sleep, etc)

  • {:modal :none}
  • inflection
    • finite (FN)
    • base inflection (BN)
  • transitivity:
    • intransitive (sleep, etc)
    • transitive (see, hit, etc)
  • [:subcat :2]
    • [] (i.e. no :2)
    • noun