Pernilla Hallonsten Halling

Modification and its relation to predication

1. Introduction

This chapter focuses on modification, both generally and with special reference to adver- bial modification. I will describe modification as a phenomenon with three components pertaining to discourse, syntax, and semantics. This allows me to bring together different approaches to modification. The literature defines modification in many different ways and so it is important to arrive at an explicit definition. This definition can then be used for the purposes of this study, which is concerned with the type of modification where properties function as modifiers in predicating expressions. In section 3.2, modification is first discussed as a discourse function, following Croft (1991, 2001, 2003). I propose an expansion of Croft’s approach so that the definition includes adverbial modification. The three-way definition of modification is then introduced (example 3.1) and evaluated against other definitions of modification. Following this, section 3.3 discusses how mod- ification relates to predication, in two respects. Firstly, adverbs are modifiers within predicating expressions, and this puts them close to predication (section 3.3.1). Secondly, adverbs are sometimes indeed described as a type of secondary predicate (section 3.3.2). Adverbs and secondary predicates are also discussed in connection to complex predicates (section 3.3.3). This discussion leads to the question of whether adverbs can be both mod- ifiers and (secondary) predicates at the same time (section 3.3.4). Finally, in section 3.4, I return to my definition of modification and whether it stands the challenges discussed, followed by a conclusion of the chapter in section 3.5.

2. Defining modification

Croft (2001: 66ff.) employs the three discourse functions reference, predication, and mod- ification as a basis for the cross-linguistic identification of prototypical parts of speech (cf. section 2.3.4). Modification, in this approach, is a function that a semantic item takes in its use in discourse. The semantic class that is prototypically used in modification is that of properties, typically instantiated by adjectives acting as modifiers of nouns. Adjectives are thus also the prototypical realization of modification in Croft’s model (see table 2.2 in section 2.3.4). As already discussed in detail in 2.3.4, Croft’s approach allows also for property modification that takes place within predicating expressions, prototypically instantiated by adverbs. But Croft does not include adverbs explicitly. In order to cover both adjectival and adverbial modification, I propose an expansion of Croft’s map of semantic classes and discourse functions as presented in table 3.1.
Table 3.1. Encoding of semantic classes and discourse functions; expanded version of Croft (2001: 88)

Reference Modification Predication within

reference predication

Objects

unmarked nouns
genitive, PPs on verbs predicate adjectivilizations, nominals,
PPs on nouns copulas