Abstract
The goal of the present study is to identify a novel paradigm of epistemic modal operator derived from disjunction. Our main data involves an inquisitive disjunction marker nka in Korean, the presence of which enhances a speaker’s epistemic uncertainty and forms a modalized question. We show how nka contributes the modal effects in question within a theory of nonveridicality. In particular, we propose that the prerequisite of nka are non-homogenous nonveridical states that are partitioned in equipoised epistemic spaces because of the absence in ranking between them. The distinct notions of disjunction, question, and possibility modals can thus be systematically captured under the framework of nonveridical equilibrium. The current analysis offers important insights into the relationship between the classes of nonveridical and modal ingredients involved in inquisitive disjunction: First, Korean facts importantly reveal that modalized questions do not form a uniform class with regular questions, since interrogative semantics alone cannot predict the epistemic uncertainty. Second, languages parameterize as to how they lexicalize the function of manipulating modal base. The implication of our findings is that disjunction needs to be recognized as a novel device for encoding a speaker’s weakest perspective on epistemic modality.
Acknowledgements
We are greatly thankful to Anastasia Giannakidou, Ming Xiang, Itamar Francez for their stimulating discussions and invaluable comments. We also thank Luis Alonso-Ovalle, Jae-Woong Choe, Beom-Mo Kang, Magdalena Kaufmann, Jong-Bok Kim, Chungmin Lee, Maria Polinsky, Kjell Johan Sæbø, Christopher Tanncredi, Mark de Varies, James Hye Suk Yoon for their helpful feedback. This paper has benefited from the valuable comments of the audience at ICKL & Harvard-ISOKL 2015, LSA 2016, SICOGG 18, the 24th J/K Linguistics Conference, the 30th PACLIC. We deeply appreciate the editor and two anonymous reviewers’ insightful suggestions and encouragement, which have significantly improved the paper. Any remaining errors are our own responsibility.
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