Typology of modality in Sino-Tibetan languages

Application summary

This project investigates ways of marking and expressing modality in Sino-Tibetan languages. Modality is here understood as a notion related to factuality, with speaker-/event-orientation and volitivity as its core dimensions (Narrog 2005; 2012). The domain of modality is most commonly further divided into epistemic (knowledge-related, 'possible'), deontic (obligation, 'must') and dynamic (ability, 'can') modalities. Sino-Tibetan languages are known for their intricate epistemic systems, including such categories as evidentiality (information source) and egophoricity (speaker involvement in an event). Previous research on Sino-Tibetan has heavily focused on these epistemic categories and the other modality types have been left largely understudied. My previous research (Kurkinen 2024) has shown that these modality types have unique properties that stand out typologically, and they should be studied in more detail. The lack of comprehensive modality research in Sino-Tibetan significantly affects our understanding of modality both in the family and in world’s languages more generally. My project will address the gap in knowledge by combining microtypological methodology with interview data from language consultants to capture both the semantic and pragmatic sides of modality. This will give us novel insights into both the structural and semantic properties of modality, as well as reveal how modals behave in actual language use and what their more marginal pragmatic uses are.