Modalpartikeln, Informationsstruktur und die expressive Dimension der Sprache

Abstract

This paper discusses some parallels between information structural categories and modal particles and sketches the claim that both phenomena belong to the expressive dimension of human language. To substantiate this claim, the paper outlines a distinction between two types of expressivity: Expressivity – broad sense and Expressivity – narrow sense. Crucially, modal particles, according to this approach, are not located at the level of illocutionary force, but rather at a discourse level below illocutionary force, given a hierarchical model of the syntax-pragmatics interface. Within such a model, both epistemic and emotive modal particles are thus located at the same level as various types of information structural categories.