The non-actualization meaning in -eya ha- modal sentences

Abstract

In this paper, I discuss the non-actualization inference which arises from the interaction between a modal expression -eya ha- and a past tense morpheme. After discussing the general properties of the Korean priority modal -eya ha-, I show that the non-actualization inference we often find in -ess-eya ha- modal sentences does not belong to a traditional classification. By adopting Tonhauser et al.’s (2013) classification which uses a distinction between at-issue and not-at-issue meanings, I show that the non-actualization inference in -ess-eya ha- modal sentences is a not-at-issue entailment. I argue that, in this way, we can differentiate various subclasses of inferences in a unified way.