The Syntax of the Epistemic Modal kaan in Jordanian Arabic

Abstract

The goal of this study is to investigate the syntax of the epistemic modal item kaan in Jordanian Arabic (JA). It was pointed out that kaan is a deductive epistemic modal marker that expresses probability based on sensory fact/s. We have argued that this kaan is an epistemic modal adverb heading Epistemic Modal Phrase (MepP) in the left periphery, above TP. That kaan precedes existential fii, sentential negation, and a topicalized item as well as a focused item empirically supports the hypothesis that kaan resides in the left-periphery. In order to explain lack of agreement affixes on kaan along the lines of the minimalist approach (Chomsky 2000, 2001), we have assumed that kaan does not carry semantically uninterpretable features and lexically unvalued features that need to be checked. Finally, it was found that epistemic kaan may not occur in non-declarative sentences. This exclusion was explained in light of the truth conditions that non-declarative clauses lack.