On the scalar nature of modal adverbial adjectives

Abstract

The present work studies a particular type of adjectives, the modal adverbial adjectives, which, when applied to a noun, do not modify it directly, rather indicating how a certain concept can be applied to that noun (Demonte, 1999); they are designated modals because they convey a certain modal value. In the present study, we used a concept of modality based on Oliveira & Mendes, (2013) work, which distinguishes five categories for modality: epistemic, deontic, internal to the participant, external to the participant and desiderative. To assess the scalar character of the modal adjectives, eleven adjectives were selected, belonging to three classes of modality: epistemic, deontic and desiderative. In order to test such scalarity, we used three constructions: quantification - muito (very/much) and pouco (little) –, combination with adverbs indicating totality – completamente (completely) and totalmente (totally) (based on the notion of proportional modifiers, inherited from Kennedy & McNally, 2005) and, lastly, combination with adverbs indicating partiality - praticamente (practically) and quase (almost). The results allowed us to draw some relevant conclusions regarding these adjectives, among which the idea that the proportional modifiers do more than assess the type of scale projected by gradable adjectives; the adverbs of totality considered may, depending on the adjective with which they are combined, induce different readings: readings that indicate that the limit/maximum point of the scale has been reached, mereological readings, intensity readings and, finally, a reading of epistemic reinforcement, equivalent to there is no doubt. Finally, the adverbs of partiality are used to attenuate the adjectives’ modal force. However, they seem to assess different modal values: praticamente (practically) keeps the modal value of the complex [adverb + adjective] very close to the basic value of the adjective (when isolated). With quase (almost), on the other hand, the distance between the value of the isolated adjective and the value of the complex [adverb + adjective] may be greater.