Abstract
Semantic Shifts Within Infinitive Constructions in English
Highlights
The study covers lexical units governing the infinitive as an object
It has been proved that lexical items regularly governing the infinitive lose their lexical meaning and become modal links
The research conducted makes it possible to draw the following conclusions: The semantic evolution undergone by lexemes governing the infinitive is a systemic diachronic process
Summary
The study covers lexical units governing the infinitive as an object (he wants to do something). The development of modal meanings of the verbs can and may was described by Traugott (1989, 2017). It’s worth remembering that in modern English, such verbs as to manage, to seek, to mean change their semantics when governing the infinitive, acquiring quasi-modal meanings of result, attempt and intention respectively. The mechanics of this process, hasn’t been fully explored, nor was the contextual aspect taken into account. The scholar distinguishes lexical and syntactic context, the latter being a syntactic structure helping to realize the meaning of a word
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