Inspired by Frank Palmer's work, this book addresses a set of specific topics pertaining to the description of modality in English and places them in a broader context. A number of more general theoretical and typological matters are also raised, which bear upon the theory of syntax, semantics and pragmatics and their interfaces. The methodology adopted is mostly functional-typological, though some reference is made to various theoretical frameworks, ranging from cognitive linguistics to parametric variation. Modal meanings are seen to extend beyond particular lexical and grammatical exponents, through sentential semantics and into actual contexts of use. At the same time, the study of modality seems to challenge commonly held views on the relationship between different levels of linguistic analysis. Other languages discussed include Brazilian Portuguese, Classical and Modern Greek and Spanish. Contents:

Anastasios Tsangalidis/Roberta Facchinetti: Preface

Juana I. Marín-Arrese: Effective vs. Epistemic Stance, and Subjectivity/Intersubjectivity in Political Discourse. A Case Study

Roberta Facchinetti: Subjectivity, (Non-)subjectivity and Intersubjectivity in English Modality

Anna Wärnsby: On Controllability as a Contextual Variable

Leo Francis Hoye: Modality in Discourse: The Pragmatics of Epistemic Modality

Marta Degani/Elisabetta Adami/Anna Belladelli: The Use of Modal Verbs in Interpersonal Contexts: From Semantics to Pragmatics

Heloisa Maria Moreira Lima-Salles: Para/for-infinitives in Brazilian Portuguese and English: Similarities and Contrasts in the Grammatical Encoding of Modality

Lotte Hogeweg: What's So Unreal about the Past? Past Tense and Counterfactuals

Jo Willmott: Modality of English Conditional Sentences: The Evidence from Ancient Greek

Juan Rafael Zamorano-Mansilla/Marta Carretero: The Expression of Deduction Referring to Past Time within the Verbal Group: An English-Spanish Contrastive Analysis

Ferdinand de Haan: On the Status of 'Epistemic' Must

Ilse Depraetere: Some Observations on (Factual) Could + Perfect Infinitive

Evangelia Manika: Modal Verbs in Modern Greek and English: What's Conceptualization Got to Do with Typology?

Philippe Bourdin: On the Role of Context in Interpreting Want as a Volitional or Deontic Verb

Daniël Van Olmen/Tanja Mortelsmans: Movement Futures in English and Dutch. A Contrastive Analysis of Be Going To and Gaan.