Welten in Sprache: Zur Entwicklung der Kategorie #x000AB;Modus#x000BB; in romanischen Sprachen

This study makes an important contribution to the theory of language change by analyzing the evolution of the French modal system from its origins in Late Latin through français classique, based on newer textual corpora and using the framework of a modal semantic approach. These developments are compared to those of other Romance languages, with the Italian modal system serving as a foil to emphasize contrast.