Publication
Title
Wat mutt, dat mutt: 'Independent' modals in West Germanic vernaculars
Author
Abstract
The squib investigates the dialectal distribution of the Dutch construction type het kan/mag/moet, lit. ‘it can/may/must’, where a modal verb occurs ‘independently’ with an eventive subject and no infinitival complement. The construction is shown to be widely attested not only in traditional dialects of Dutch, but also in Frisian, Low German, and Afrikaans. We suggest that the construction, which does not occur in standard German or English, is an areal feature shared by the West Germanic vernaculars of northwestern Germany and the Low Countries, including the South African ‘side branch’ Afrikaans.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Nederlandse taalkunde. - Groningen, 1996, currens
Publication
Groningen : 2019
ISSN
1384-5845 [print]
2352-1171 [online]
DOI
10.5117/NEDTAA2019.3.005.CAER
Volume/pages
24 :3 (2019) , p. 399-417
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
VABB-SHW
Record
Identifier
Creation 05.12.2019
Last edited 07.10.2022
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