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Barbara Sonnenhauser: Zirkumstantielle Modalität im Bairischen: das verbale Präfix der- 

Drawing on the results of a questionnaire administered in the region between and around Altötting and Trostberg in south-eastern Bavaria, this contribution focuses on the Bavarian verbal prefix der-, particularly on its syntactic and semantic characteristics. The investigation reveals that a distinction needs to be drawn between a specifically Bavarian use of der- and one that corresponds to the Standard German usage of the prefix. In syntactic terms, the specifically Bavarian der- is characterized by its need for a direct object and an agentive, intentional subject; semantically it can be described as a narrow, goal-directed path. The characteristic modal affinity of verbs which take the der- prefix can be attributed to the interaction of these traits. This affinity is apparent not just in the frequent combination of der- verbs with können, but also in the modal interpretation of such verbs, possible even in the absence of a modal operator. The modal interpretation of der- verbs is, however, confined to a particular form of dynamic modality – namely circumstantial modality, i.e., the ability, within specific circumstances, of a subject to successfully execute a deed or action up to a defined end point.