The evolution of Turkic modal verbs

This paper investigates the mechanisms underlying the grammaticalization of Turkic modal auxiliary verbs. Special attention is paid to the linking device between main verb and auxiliary, i.e. the segment that corresponds to the infinitive in many Standard Average European modal constructions. Turkic modal constructions display a considerable variation regarding this linking device, which, however, can be reduced to a set of seven structural types, the origin and development of which will be investigated. It will be argued that interacting analogous mechanisms that build on formal and semantic principles contribute to the evolution and distribution of these type