Strong modality and truth disposability in syntactic subordination: What is the locus of the phase edge validating modal adverbials?

Abstract

AbstractThis paper investigates modality elements in German dependent clauses. We demonstrate that although modal adverbial elements can appear freely in matrix clauses, they have a limited distribution in dependent clauses – showing up, for example, in non‐factive complement clauses, but not in factive complement clauses. More generally, the modality potential comes to exist, in ways still to be explained, in what may be called ‘peripheral’ subordinate clauses rather than ‘central’ dependent clauses. To explain this distribution, we argue that for this distinction of dependent clauses phasehood should be extended beyond CP to embrace Force. From this point we continue to distinguish a proper left edge to the Force phase from a defective one with the result that the empirical status of dependent clauses is accounted for appropriately in Minimalist terms.