Deontic readings of the imperative through the prism of force dynamic relations: Permissive and preventive utterances with the discourse marker vaa(n) in Finnish

Abstract

This paper focuses on the interplay between the imperative form and the discourse marker vaa(n) in Finnish. The imperative semantics produces a temporally non-anchored representation of an event that is related to two subjective points of view, corresponding to intentional forces. Resulting from this deictically and modally open meaning structure, imperative constructions display a particular potential to host discourse markers, which orient the interpretation of the utterance. In the case of vaa(n), the force dynamic relation entailed in the imperative enters into interaction with the semantics of the discourse marker. Vaa(n) is assumed to stem from an adverbial form with the meaning ‘firmly’, implying an agonist force's resistance to an antagonist force. When used with the imperative form, vaan gives prominence to an underlying force dynamic relation that impacts the virtual validator of the process. In so doing and by highlighting the positive or negative value of the non-anchored event at the intersubjective level, vaa(n) contributes to construing the permissive or preventive meaning of the imperative utterance. This analysis of vaa(n) thus allows us to identify the semantic similarities between these two types of imperative constructions, both of which entail a twofold force relationship.