Реферат: Double modals as single lexical items in American English

LEXICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DOUBLE MODALS

Double Modals are syntactically constructed sequences of single modals . Thus , they should be analyzed as two-word lexical items , like compound nouns , Verb + Particle constructions , Verb + Adjective const-ructions , or idioms . At first the DMs may seem a violation of the rule of non-iteration in the Auxiliary verbs usage , but that is not so . While deriving from the single modals , the DMs still form a specific lexico-grammatical part of the language and have their own characteristics .

The best way to show that the lexicon is the proper grammatical component for dealing with the particularities inherent in DMs is to develop an analogy between multiword lexical items and DMs. For all that they have at least three types of properties in common :

1. Non-productivity

2. A combination of both unit-like and non-unit-like behaviour

3. Syntactic and semantic irregularities

These properties are common just in sets of related lexical (not syntactic) constructions . Each of them will be discussed in general and then applied in particular to DMs .

1.NON-PRODUCTIVITY

A clear-cut example of the non-productive multiword lexical construct- ructions are the English Verb-Adjective ones . These lexical units have their steady shape , so they can’t be altered or reformed by will .

e.g : to hammer flat , to wipe clean , etc.

In spite that having an analogous lexical form , constructions of this type shouldn’tbe confused with the simple combinations of verbs and adjectives such as to hammer round ( well , strongly ,…) or to wipe immaculate (thoroughly , softly) .

e.g : Margaret hammered it flat .

Margaret hammered it well .

Mary wiped it clean .

Mary wiped it immaculate .

The Verb-Adjective constructions are not syntactically constructed, that,s they are non-productive . Otherwise , any adjective should be able to follow any verb , that is absolutely unacceptable for non-productive-ness .

DMs are non-productive , too . It is clearly seen in that not all possible DMs are recognized by all DM users . This applies both to individual differences among speakers in a speech community and different ces among speech communities . Thus , it is normal when many persons who rejected might would accept might could . It means that some DMs are far more common than others .

DM speakers from different regions may have different DMs in their repertoire , but all DM speakers have a certain set of DMs . If DMs were not non-productive , that’s syntactically constructed, all the people who use them would produce the same set of them . Instead , the speakers apparently have learned or prefer just particular DMs . In this item learning DMs is equivalent to learning vocabulary .

2. UNIT-LIKE AND NON-UNIT-LIKE BEHAVIOUR

A second characteristic of multiword lexical constructions is that they can exhibit a combination of unit-like and non-unit-like behaviour . It means that syntactic and morphological rules sometimes treat these lexical items as one word and sometimes as more than one .

Verb-Particle constructions are good examples of this phenomenon:to make up , to get over , to calm down , to switch on , etc. In spite of ot- her evidence (especially semantic evidence) that they would be treated as lexical items , the well known rule of Particle Shift allows the components of Verb-Particle constructions to be nonadjacent in surface structure :

e.g : Please , wake me up earlier tomorrow .

He will certainly get all this obstacles over .

Switch the light down !

Furthermore , at least one adverb , right , can also interrupt the compo-

nents of some Verb-Particle constructions :

e.g : She came right back .

As soon as we got the computer started , it broke right down

Morphologically , Verb-Particle constructions often have idiosyncra-