This book is a cross-linguistic exploration of semantic and functional change in modal markers. With a focus on Japanese and to a lesser extent Chinese the book is a countercheck to hypotheses built on the Indo-European languages. It also contains numerous illustrations from other languages.

• 1.: Introduction


• 2: Modality and Subjectivity


• 3: Modality and Semantic Change


• 4: Illustrating the Model - some case studies


• 5: Cross-linguistic Patterns of Polysemy and Change Within Modality and Mood


• 6: Shifts Between Types of Modality in Traditional Terms


• 7: Into (and out of) Modality


• 8: Conclusions


• Appendix


• References

Heiko Narrog is Associate Professor of Linguistics at Tohoku University. His publications include Modality in Japanese (Benjamins 2009); and, with Bernd Heine, The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Analysis (OUP 2010) and The Oxford Handbook of Grammaticalization (OUP 2011).