A Database for Modal Semantic Typology

Abstract

This paper introduces a database for crosslinguistic modal semantics. The purpose of this database is to (1) enable ongoing consolidation of modal semantic typological knowledge into a repository according to uniform data standards and to (2) provide data for investigations in crosslinguistic modal semantic theory and experiments explaining such theories. We describe the kind of semantic variation that the database aims to record, the format of the data, and a current snapshot of the database, emphasizing access and contribution to the database in light of the goals above. We release the database at https://clmbr.shane.st/ modal-typology.

Modal semantic universals optimize the simplicity/informativeness trade-off

“…This universal still provides a strong constraint on the lexicalization of modals, but accommodates the two known counterexamples and can be seen as a form of convexity in this semantic domain. Ongoing work extends the experiments reported here but (i) using IFF instead of SAV, and (ii) incorporating actual natural languages from Guo et al 2022. We also note that it is possible for efficient communication analyses like these to generate robust cross-linguistic hypotheses, instead of merely testing existing proposals. For example, what are the properties shared by optimal (in possibly many senses) languages, and can such analyses be used to generate default hypotheses for cross-linguistic semantics investigations?…”

“…The full details of this algorithm, including pseudocode, can be found in Steinert-Threlkeld 2021: §Appendix A. However, see Guo, Imel & Steinert-Threlkeld (2022) for initial progress in this direction, introducing a database for modal semantic typology. We will return to this work in the Discussion.…”

“…While collecting the entire modal inventory for each language may present difficulties, we look forward to implementing in future work a systematic extraction of relevant data from such primary descriptive resources. Guo et al (2022) presents a preliminary effort in this direction, gathering typological data from a suite of reference grammars as well as from published semantic fieldwork, in a unified format that can be used in our style of experiments. Two primary issues arise with these data.…”

A semantic universal for modality

“…On the empirical side, gathering and sytematizing the existing excellent cross-linguistic work on modality will enable large-scale verification (or refutation) of IFF and other properties. Guo, Imel & Steinert-Threlkeld (2022) have made recent progress on this front. On the theoretical side, one would like to explain why modals satisfy this property.…”

Cross-linguistic dataset of force-flavor combinations in modal elements

“…2, we introduce our background assumptions regarding the semantics of modality (2.1) and discuss some existing generalizations on cross-linguistic variation in modal semantics (2.2). We then lay out the motivation for our modal dataset based on these existing cross-linguistic insights (2.3), and briefly compare our database to a related project documented in Guo et al (2022) (2.4). In Sect.…”