ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with 'Double modal' constructions in the Scots spoken in Hawick. It describes their occurrence rather than to follow the many theoretical issues they raise. The number and distribution of auxiliary verbs in spoken Scots is somewhat different from Standard English. In glossing the examples Standard English paraphrases have been used for the second, root, modal. In Hawick Scots it seems that the double modal constructions are as acceptable as these particular alternatives. The use of modal adverbs instead of modal auxiliaries is, of course, a common feature of all dialects of English, and, in the case of maybe, is particularly common in Scots. The chapter reviews the syntax of auxiliaries in affirmative sentences involving a single modal. All the auxiliaries have 'strong' and 'weak' forms – the 'strong' forms occurring under 'stress', typically realized as high pitch in spoken Scots.
