Corpus Data on Clausal Complements with Modal Verbs in Serbian: A Study of 'morati' (must) and 'moći' (can)

This dataset contains 1000 concordance lines extracted from the Serbian Web Corpus (SrWaC), focusing on the modal verbs morati ("must") and moći ("can"). The data is structured to analyze the variation in clausal complement types (infinitive vs. da+present clauses) following these modal verbs in Serbian. The dataset is annotated with several linguistic features, including modal flavor, subject animacy, subject theta role, and complement type.

Columns:

Preceding Context: The text preceding the target modal verb.

Target Modal: The modal verb (morati or moći).

Following Context: The text following the target modal verb.

Modal Flavor: The semantic type of the modal verb, coded as:

deo: Deontic (obligation, permission, prohibition)

epi: Epistemic (certainty, possibility)

cir: Circumstantial (necessity or ability determined by circumstances)

dyn: Dynamic (physical or mental ability)

Complement Type: The type of clausal complement following the modal verb:

INF: Infinitive

DPC: da+present clause

Animacy: The animacy of the subject, coded as:

AN: Animate (humans, animals, corporates)

INAN: Inanimate (objects, abstract concepts)

Subject Theta Role: The thematic role of the subject, coded as:

A: Agent (animate subjects of unergatives, transitives, etc.)

T: Theme (undergoer of the action, e.g., subjects of unaccusatives, passives)

E: Experiencer (participant undergoing an emotional state)

I: Instrument or Cause (inanimate subjects of causatives)

Verb: The modal verb itself (morati or moći).

Purpose:

This dataset was created to investigate the factors influencing the choice between infinitive and da+present complements in Serbian modal constructions. The data supports research on syntactic variation, modal semantics, and the interaction between subject properties and complement type.

Potential Use Cases:

Linguistic research on clausal complements in South Slavic languages.

Studies on modal verbs and their syntactic behavior.

Investigations into the role of animacy and thematic roles in syntax.

Cross-linguistic comparisons of modal verb constructions.

License:

CC BY 4.0

Acknowledgments:

This dataset was created as part of the research presented at the SinFonIJA 17 conference in Nova Gorica, September 2024. Special thanks to the members of the ClaCoLaSi Project Team.