Forthcoming: The syntax of modality and negation: Evidence from German

This book discusses a wide range of data from German concerning the interaction between modality and negation. The central claim is that modal force and modal flavor are encoded in different syntactic positions within the clausal spine. Similar to existing accounts of the interaction between modals and negation, I assume that some modal verbs are hosted in (flavor) projections above the position of sentential negation, while others are hosted below it. Whereas some previous accounts posit only two positions for modal verbs, I argue that there are several distinct modal flavors, each associated with its own projection. These flavor projections are not, however, the positions in which modals are base-generated.

I broadly follow an idea developed in earlier work on modals: some modals reconstruct to their base position, whereas others do not. More specifically, I argue that each modal flavor is hosted in its own functional projection, following cartographic approaches to syntax, while modal force is encoded in structurally lower projections above VP. Furthermore, I argue that necessity and possibility modals are mirror images of one another not only semantically but also syntactically. Necessity modals tend to be interpreted in their flavor projections and reconstruct only under special circumstances. Possibility modals, by contrast, tend to be interpreted in the lower force projection and do not reconstruct under the same special circumstances, at least in German.