Why are English modals this way now? (Philological Room) Language Learning Forum

Why are English modals this way now?
Tags: Verbs/Conjugation \| Grammar \| English
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9 messages over 2 pages: 1 2

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Message 9 of 9

02 January 2014 at 12:48am | IP Logged

Papashaw1 wrote:

Or the relative lack of complexity? All those things I listed above
can't be done in English but can be done in other
Germanic languages. Dutch also lost their equivalent of tharf, I think English has
expanded the number of pseudo
modals (supposed to, about to, have to, be able to, want to, had better/best/rather) when
compared to other
Germanic languages.

Tharf survived as "durven" in Dutch, but it underwent semantic drift and now means "to
dare". For to be able to Dutch uses "kunnen" and for be allowed to we use "mogen"
(cognate to English "may").

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