Subjective Modality

Abstract

Modal expressions place propositions somewhere on a scale of likelihood. If the basis for placement is the current knowledge of the speaker, we can speak of subjective modality. In English, may and must are subjective modals. In this paper they are compared with their non-subjective or objective counterparts both semantically and syntactically. Modals in several other languages are considered in an attempt to show that there is a widespread, if not universal, tendency to contrast subjective and objective modality.