Irrealis in positive imperatives and in prohibitives

Against a general background of the question of what constitutes irrealis, the paper investigates whether there is any sense in which prohibitives (negative imperatives) are more irrealis than positive imperatives. The study operationalizes this issue in three ways on a sample of 179 languages and parameters are argued to include whether or not the irrealis marking is obligatory and whether or not the irrealis marking is added to dedicated imperative or prohibitive marking or instead replaces it.

► Prohibitives are more typically irrealis than imperatives. ► If an imperative is irrealis it does not follow that the corresponding prohibitive is. ► An imperative may contain irrealis marking with or without imperative marking.