Séminaire de Recherche en Linguistique

In this talk we answer the following questions: (i) What triggers the subjunctive mood (vs. indicative)? (ii) How is this trigger realized? (iii) How does this trigger connect with the subjunctive embedded clause?

We focus on French and propose that:

(i). Embedded subjunctive is triggered by “emotive” predicates. We propose that an emotive predicate is a predicate whose external argument (which raises to the subject position) corresponds to a (sentient) entity who has an emotive reaction (volition, fear, desire, urge…) towards p, the situation expressed as the complement of the predicate. We extend the analysis to the classes of predicates which select embedded subjunctives clauses, i.e. emotive factives, desire predicates and directives. 

(ii). The semantic make up of such predicates includes a modal operator corresponding to bouletic modality, i.e. the emotive component corresponds to the expression, by the external argument, of a desire that p, be it positive (desire, empathy…) or negative (fear, worry…). We decompose predicates into several heads (see Ramchand 2008), which include a head endowed with the feature [sentient], and, for ‘emotive’ predicates, a modal bouletic component.We argue that these features are hierarchically organized within the vP/VP.

(iii). The selection of a (subjunctive) embedded clause is necessarily local, and mediated by the complementizer. We argue that French complementizer morphemes are syncretic, and bi-partite: they are made up of (at least) a BaseP (a complex structure containing a.o an indefinite) and a Prefixed operator. This operator may be propositional (in the environment of indicatives clause) or interrogative (see Roussou 2010). We add another type of operator, a modal operator, which quantifies over situations and licenses an embedded MoodP. Modal French que encodes both BaseP and a non-overt Op_modal.

The matrix predicate contains thus a feature (bouletic) which selects the modal component of the complementizer. The complementizer in turn licenses subjunctive mood. In the absence of the bouletic operator in the matrix verb, the selection process will only license Op_real, which is associated with indicative. Hence Mood selection is syntactic and local.