Linguistic Inquiry· 2026Q1
On Two Types of Mood Shift in Icelandic Conditionals
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- 2026year
Short summary
Icelandic conditionals exhibit two distinct mood shifts (CMS_1 and CMS_2) affecting verb forms, with CMS_1 potentially neutralizing perfect semantics and CMS_2 allowing for potentialis uses.
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Key points
- Icelandic 'o-marked' conditional clauses typically use indicative verbs, but subjunctive verbs are obligatory under conditional inversion (V1-protases) and occasionally appear in present tense ef-protases.
- CMS_1 (conditional inversion) can neutralize perfect semantics, requiring a present perfect subjunctive to function as a past indicative.
- CMS_1 can cause unacceptability when the main verb is a reportively used form of kveða ('say', 'speak').
- CMS_2 (present tense ef-protases) can be interpretively neutral or allow for 'potentialis' uses, echoing Old Norse usage.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract Ordinarily, the finite verb of Icelandic "o-marked" conditional ef-protases occurs in the indicative. However, subjunctive finite verbs are obligatory under "conditional inversion," i.e., in V1-protases, and they occasionally show up in present tense ef-protases. In this squib, interpretive consequences of these two types of "conditional mood shift"—referred to as CMS_1 and CMS_2, respectively—are characterized. Thus, CMS_1 may lead to "neutralization" of perfect semantics, where a present perfect subjunctive has to stand in for a past indicative, and to outright unacceptability if the main verb is a reportively used form of kveða ("say," "speak"). CMS_2 is interpretively neutral in some instances but appears to allow "potentialis" uses like its historical precursor in Old Norse in others. An analysis is sketched for CMS_1, drawing on a competition approach to the semantics of the perfect.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Linguistic Inquiry, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Language and Linguistics
Language and LinguisticsArts and Humanities