250 Jean-Christophe Verstraete
he’s really going to be in trouble in–in the whole breadth of his administra-
tion. (CB)3.2. Interrogation
Hengeveld (1988) argues that objective modality can be questioned,
whereas subjective modality cannot. Again, I agree that this may be the
case when subjective and objective modality are realized as modal adverbs
and adjectives respectively,^5 but it is certainly not the case for modal auxil-
iaries. Subjective modal auxiliaries can occur in interrogatives just like
objective ones, as shown in examples (9) and (10):
(9) THOMPSON: If the trials are successful, might this be used as the first line
of treatment of cancer? THORPE: Well that’s exactly where we are going.
We are hoping that this will replace conventional chemotherapy. (CB)
(10) I mean maybe we’ve got no choice if we want to do it but I mean erm do you
think it’s possible to do anything worthwhile in history lessons or can this
work really only take place in somewhere like civics social studies sociol-
ogy politics? (CB)
As with conditionality, the difference between subjective and objective
modals is not a matter of acceptability in interrogative contexts, but of the
way in which the interpretation of the modal is affected by the interrogative
construction. With subjective modality, the commitment encoded by the
modal undergoes a shift of orientation under the influence of interrogation.
In declarative contexts, the responsibility for the position is assigned to the
speaker, but in interrogative contexts like (9) or (10), the responsibility for
the position encoded by subjective modals like epistemic might and can is
no longer taken by the speaker, but is assigned to the interlocutor in the
next turn: “Are you committed to this position?” rather than “I am commit-
ted to this position”.
For non-subjective modals, on the other hand, interrogation does not af-
fect the interpretation of the modal. Since the interpretation of non-
subjective modality does not require any assignment of responsibility, it
does not undergo any shift of orientation under the influence of interroga-
tion. For instance, if we look at examples like (11) or (12):
(11) They’ve already worried the charts and won many admirers with the single
Fun for Me. Can they do it live? It’s time to find out. (CB)
(12) First-time buyers should ask: Who is responsible for a title search and
abstract? Who will provide title insurance? Must the termite inspection be