What "might " might could be in "might could": The case of double modals in Appalachian English

Expanding on a paper I wrote for Dr. Lakshmanan’s Syntax class, I will be addressing the role of double modal constructions in American dialects, especially the dialect spoken by my family, which I believe to be Appalachian English. Using both spoken and written sources, we can deconstruct the double modal constructions of “might could”, “might should”, and others in an attempt to show that what at first appears to be a double modal is actually an adverb + modal, with the adverb in disguise. Hopefully, this re-analysis will head toward the proof that a double modal construction in the true sense does not exist, but that certain modal verbs have taken on the properties of, and thus become, adverbs. Also examined will be why and when double modals are used and what this means to the theory proposed. 1.