Subjunctive mood, epistemic modality and Main Clause Phenomena in the analysis of adverbial clauses

This paper discusses the two types of adverbial clauses extensively analysed in Haegeman’s works – central and peripheral clauses – in relation to the properties of the Bulgarian non-past verbal form. I propose that this form is the core instantiation of subjunctive mood and that while absence of temporal specification is the core ingredient of all subjunctive forms the modal shades often associated with subjunctives are an additional ingredient to anchor the nondeictic forms. I argue that the distribution of the bare non-past form is a strong argument in favour of the distinction between central and peripheral clauses. Additionally, I show, on the basis of the Bulgarian data, that peripheral clauses can be subdivided into two subgroups – premise and adversative clauses.

Published online: 27 June 2012
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.190.17las