Description:
Biographical note: Björn Hansen, University ofRegensburg, Germany; Ferdinand de Haan, University of Arizona, USA.
This book is a collection of papers on modals in the languages of Europe, written by experts in the area of modality. It provides readers with a wealth of data and addresses the issues of under which circumstances modals are borrowed, from which linguistic materials they typically arise in these languages, and whether and how modals form a system which is separate from other word classes.
Review text: "This book provides excellent new research on modality in languages where studies on modal constructions are rarely conducted. It also emphasizes the impact of language contact in modality."Stella Gevorgyan-Ninness in Linguist List 22.186 "This is a useful reference guide for students of comparative linguistics."In: Scitech Book News Book News Inc. 2/2010