Objective
"Modal expressions allow us to talk about unrealized possibilities and uncertain scenarios. For instance, the sentence in (1), with the modal ""might"", describes a possible scenario compatible with the speaker's evidence.
1) (Given what I know), Jones might be the murderer.
The ability to construct discourses about the non-actual is a fundamental cognitive skill and one of the design features of human language (Hockett 1960). Accordingly, modality has been extensively studied in linguistics and philosophy (see Frawley 2006 and Portner 2009 for recent overviews). Until recently, work on modality had focused primarily on verbal elements (e.g. modal auxiliaries). Over the last few years, however, the semantics literature has begun to recognize the existence of a class of functional nominal items - modal determiners- that introduce modal contents akin to the ones we see in the verbal domain. For example, the Spanish indefinite “algún” in (3) contributes information about the speaker’s epistemic state (that she does not know what book Juan bought), like ""might"" in (1).
2) Juan compró algún libro
Juan bought algún book
‘Juan bought some book or other’
This project will improve our understanding of natural language modality through a cross-linguistic description and analysis of modal determiners, thereby bringing together two classic domains of research (modality and determiners) that have had very limited overlap until now. The study will gather data from Catalan, Spanish and English, using two complementary methodologies (extraction of corpus data and written questionnaires), analyze these data using the methods of formal semantics and pragmatics, and examine the consequences of this research for the theory of modality. The last phase of the investigation will involve designing a follow-up project on Catalan Sign Language, a language for which there exists strong expertise in the host group, but where modal determiners have never been investigated."
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities languages and literature general language studies
- humanities languages and literature linguistics sign language
- humanities philosophy, ethics and religion philosophy
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF
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Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
08002 Barcelona
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.