'Maybe my daddy give me a big piano': the development of children's use of modals to express uncertainty

Abstract

Little is known about the emergence of modal adjuncts to mark uncertainty. We used the CHILDES database (MacWhinney & Snow 1985, 1990) to examine the use of the modal terms maybe, possibly, probably and might among 10 children between ages 2;0 and 4;11. A coding scheme was developed to permit a detailed examination of the contexts in which these terms were used. Children first expressed uncertainty in connention with ongoing events in the physical world and with respect to future intentions. The expression of uncertainty with respect to future events was the next context of use to emerge. After age 3;6, an increased use of might was notable, particularly with respect to 'things that might happen' in the future.