User:Ken H/enMAV

Modest start for enMAV
One screen, one foundation: try to write one "transwiki-ready?" screenful to start with. One sufficiently rich, flexible and expressive presentation that is adequate for any viewer.

Local policy?: Should this page only be about the general group and character of enMAV, and not use space addressing the individual lexical issues from the enMAV set, insofaras this is possible (viz., past tense modals and the seriously anomalous)? At the moment, I don't have a summary of all the redirects and tangled duplicate links that relate to this topic. Lexical and dialectal entries could dwell in the moods invoked and relevant Wiktionary denotations (all linked from here). Double modals raise peculiar interests, but how many ought to be listed/explained/linked here? I don't know. Later, someone might lexicalize English modals WP-style, or something else even more sensible.


 * 1) Ruakh is right to suggest MAV split into MAV (MAV has min &sect;1&amp;2 from enMAV) and enMAV.  Talk Ruakh others.
 * 2) Section 1: Ask Ruakh to do this.
 * 3) Section 2: Do a 4? row table, as roughly sketched below.  Choosetable syntax.
 * 4) Section 3ff: Further sections follow loosely after these.

section 2
The initial ten (and most common) English modals or modal auxiliary verbs are below. .   will      shall      may         can                     strong present tense forms would    should     might       could                   gradiently weak past forms must     ought (to)                                gradiently weak anomalous forms Regular AUX (non-modal): be do have          structure, tense, emphasis or inquiry . . functional description for links above: | 4row table: ea MAV floats 6way disambig:             (r1=2way:  enGM  &amp;  enWKTN) | | 10 MAVs ea pop inline navig help:       enGM  |  GMod  |  GM  |  enLang |  Langs | |  f/holding rich disambig info/choice,           (default)-hi-lit-enWKTN |  WKTNs | |  ''(link quality counts highest) ... then, open tab/window per \ESC point.''        | | Fourth line: be do have                                 - no external links? | The words dare and need were used as modals in the past. They appear less often in contemporary English. Please look in any good dictionary (or in enWKTN) to see more of the range of functions that these verbs perform.

Modal do is often called a dummy modal. It is a highly anomalous member of the (modal) auxiliary verbs, modal char, pronominals (pro-S) ... Unlike BE and HAVE, it is not associate with any participles. AUX &amp; CONJ make truths and lesser structures Their living halves enliven language with carrying emotions, and all the modalities.  &lt;&lt;edit problem&gt;&gt; DO again non-modal. AUX wackos. Elan vital. Small clause maniacs. Nativism.

onward
4. Section 3:  ? Common features/functions/properties presented by English modals. 5. Section 4:  ? Unknown. Work on, or vacation, but have 2+? month pause on enMAV if there are no conflicts re &sect;1 and &sect;2, etc. 6.             ? History &amp; current refs? Lowth. Lexicalization&lt;-- GF &amp; etym.