Semantics Research Group Meeting, May 19, 2017

This study examines the interaction of the Japanese modal particle darou with different sentence types and intonation. A detailed investigation of darou reveals an interesting paradigm with respect to parameters such as clause type, boundary tone and pragmatic context. Two naturalness rating studies are conducted to support the predictions regarding the interpretations and felicity of the target sentences. I propose that darou is a root-level modal operator which expresses the epistemic knowledge of the deictic center. A rising intonational contour is a Kaplanian monster which shifts the deictic center of darou from the speaker to the addressee. The proposal is formally implemented in the framework of inquisitive dynamic epistemic logic. I propose that darou is an entertain modality E with an agent variable the value of which is determined by an assignment g, which can be modified by rising intonation.