Epistemic modality and the subjective-objective distinction

Epistemic modals exhibit behaviors that on the one hand support classical theories, which view these modals as truth-conditional while on the other support traditional theories, which view these modals as non truth-conditional modifiers of assertion. The reason for this divide is that epistemic modals are ambiguous between subjective and objective readings – the former are non truth-conditional and the latter are truth-conditional. The formal account of provided in this paper draws insight from Lyons (1977), improves it and solves problems inherent in the classical theories of Kratzer (1981) and Papafragou (2006) and their solutions to the subjective-objective distinction.