This book explores the nature and scope of modality in Japanese. It contains a review of the history of Japanese modality studies, as well as theoretical and empirical research and is the first collection of studies on Japanese modality written in English and offers a stimulating contrast to existing studies on Western languages.

Notes on Contributors Preface Introduction; B.Pizziconi & M.Kizu PART I: CONTEXTUALIZING AND DEFINING JAPANESE MODALITY Modality, Modaritii and Predication - The Story of Modality in Japan; H.Narrog Modality from a Japanese Perspective; T.Masuoka West Meets East: A Kindaichian Approach to Subjective Modality; L.Larm What Is and Is Not Language-Specific About the Japanese Modal System? - A Comparative and Historical Perspective; T.Moriya & K.Horie PART II: JAPANESE MODALITY FROM SEMANTIC AND SYNTACTIC PERSPECTIVE Tense and Settledness in Japanese Conditionals; S.Arita Conditional Modality: Two Types of Modal Auxiliaries in Japanese; Y.Takubo Japanese Modals and the Syntax-Pragmatics Interface; M.Kizu PART III: JAPANESE MODALITY IN DISCOURSE On Noun Phrases as Minor Sentences in Japanese; T.Shin'ya The Acquisition of Japanese Modality During the Study Abroad; S.Watanabe & N.Iwasaki The Interactional Consequences of Epistemic Indexicality - Some Thoughts on the Epistemic Marker -Kamoshirenai; B.Pizziconi Index