From deontic modality to conditionality

A diachronic investigation into bì in Classical Chinese

Bibliographic Data

ID12821474
AuthorsYueh Hsin Kuo (0000-0002-5794-7145, University of Edinburgh, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume23
Issue1
Pages84-110
Publication date2022-09-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Historical Pragmatics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1566-5852 • E-ISSN: 1569-9854
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1075/jhp.19002.kuo
OpenAlexW4297242869
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited28

While epistemic modality has been suggested to be a modal source of conditionality, deontic modality has been generally overlooked. Using data from Classical Chinese and the Invited Inferencing Theory of Semantic Change, this study demonstrates that the deontic modal bi tends to invite inferences of conditionality in contexts where it is used teleologically and performatively as an indirect speech act of advice. That is, conditionality can emerge out of an interaction of teleological and performative meanings. Furthermore, three conditions are identified as where teleological, performative and conditional meanings enable the inferencing of the deontic modal bi as a conditional protasis connective. The absence of one or more of these conditions is shown to be less likely to invite inferences of conditionality

Cognitive psychology · Conditionality · Deontic logic · Epistemology · Linguistics · Modal · Modality (human–computer interaction · Performative utterance · Political science · Premise · Semantics (computer science · Teleology · Computer Science · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation · Artificial Intelligence

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