Modality and Reality: The value of speech in context
Mots-clés :
modality, irrealis, Mohawk, speech in useRésumé
A central challenge for work on modality is delineating the domain and the categories within it, due in
part to the fact that both are constantly evolving. Our understanding of possible systems and their
components can thus be enhanced by learning more about how they develop through time. Because
modality distinctions play major roles in social interaction, examination of spontaneous interactive
speech can be particularly useful for uncovering the steps by which markers can progress and the
motivations behind them. One longstanding puzzle has been whether irrealis distinctions should be
included within modality. Here some reasons behind the dilemma are explored by tracing developments
of an irrealis category in Northern Iroquoian languages, exemplified by Mohawk (Kanien'kéha'). The
examination of speech in use, coupled with insights from speakers, provides clues to likely pathways of
development and the discourse and social contexts facilitating them.