Modal verbs in Dutch first language acquisition

Although modality is a rather complex aspect of language, children use modal expressions relatively early (first modal verbs in English around age two, Choi 2006). Generally, non-epistemic (dynamic & deontic) modal meanings are acquired before epistemic ones (Choi 2006). Explanations for this pattern have been suggested in cognitive (Theory of Mind, Papafragou 1998), pragmatic (non-epistemic speech acts, Stephany 1986) or linguistic directions (modal verbs, Doitchinov 2001). A closely related complex aspect of language is finiteness. The first verbal elements in Dutch child language seem to be infinitives (Blom 2008). There are reasons to interpret infinitives in the so-called Optional Infinitive Stage as having a modal meaning (Ingram & Thompston 1996, Hoekstra & Hyams 1998, Blom 2008). In the acquisition of modal verbs, these two aspects - modality and finiteness - come together. My main research question is how children acquire modals. What are the properties of the first modals? How do these modals develop in the adult modal system with different formal, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic characteristics? I analyzed the first appearances of modals verbs in the Dutch data from the CHILDES database (Mac Whinney 2000), in order to find out which modal verbs occur first and which modal verbs occur most. I examined how the modals develop over time and investigated different properties: formal features, syntactic status (subject presence, auxiliary status) and combination with negation and affirmative particles. I related these properties to the acquisition of other verbal elements (root infinitives, lexical finite verbs, auxiliaries, dummies). I also analyze the modal meanings of these first modal verbs. These are all situated within the non-epistemic domain, but it is possible to differentiate in participant-internal and participant-external modality (following van der Auwera & Plungian 1998: 80-81). I will present the first results and discuss further research questions