modalityeach

Modalityeach is a theoretical construct in formal semantics and modal logic that concerns how modal operators such as must and may interact with distributive quantification over individuals. The concept is used to model when a claim about every member of a set holds across possible worlds or modal bases, and when readings differ from collective interpretations.

Formally, modalityeach can be represented by an operator that acts on predications about individuals. One common line of analysis considers distributivity over the universal quantifier, roughly aligning readings with M(∀x P(x)) ≈ ∀x M(P(x)). Another line preserves a non-distributive reading, allowing interactions between the modal base and the individual level. These choices affect how sentences with distributive quantification and modality are interpreted in semantic theory.

Example: "Each student could have submitted the assignment." This sentence has a distributive modality reading: for every student, there exists a possible world in which that student submitted the assignment, potentially with different worlds for different students. In contrast, "The students could have submitted the assignment" is often treated as having a more collective reading, where modality interacts with the group as a unit. Modalityeach provides a framework to distinguish these readings within a unified semantic analysis.

Applications and debates: The concept informs analyses of cross-linguistic distributivity, scope effects in modals, and natural language processing tasks that require handling distributive versus collective readings. Critics note reliance on choices about possible-world semantics and the modal base, and point to diverse empirical judgments across languages and contexts.

See also: modal logic, distributivity in semantics, distributive versus collective readings.