Raising verbs as modal expressions: The case of Spanish

Abstract

In this paper we will reanalyze a syntactic structure that has been studied in Generative Grammar since the '70s (e.g., Chomsky 1973, Postal 1974): “raising” structures. In these structures there is a verb that selects a non-finite subordinate clause in which an argument receives a thematic role but no case, resulting in a movement-A to the matrix clause for case checking reasons. This system involves major complications at both the theoretical and empirical levels, so we will try to replace that theory for the claim that so-called “raising verbs” are actually auxiliaries conveying modal meaning. Thus, there are not two clauses, but only one with a dictum and a modus, in which the raising verb is a modal head. We will begin by characterizing the notion of modality in different areas and then we will focus on the study of syntax and semantics of raising verbs from the convergence of generativism, Relevance Theory and concepts from modal logics.