Modals in the languages of Europe

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This book offers the first comprehensive survey of modals and modal constructions in European languages, resulting from a collaborative effort among scholars from Europe and the United States, initiated by a workshop in Valencia. It aims to describe and compare the properties of modals across various languages and language families from both areal and genetic perspectives, while also examining modality in some languages just outside Europe. Comprising fourteen chapters focused on individual languages or families, each written by experts, alongside introductory and concluding chapters by the editors, the book provides detailed descriptions of modals and insights into their general nature and status. It presents a theoretical framework for understanding how modals and modal constructions are grammaticalized, based on Christian Lehmann's language-independent parameters, rather than language-specific criteria like the NICE criteria for English. These parameters are also assessed for their relevance to grammaticalization theory. This collection surpasses most existing works in the field, offering a fresh perspective on grammaticalization and language contact. It is valuable for scholars interested in modality, language contact, areal linguistics, grammaticalization theory, and typology.