0 оценок0% нашли этот документ полезным (0 голосов)
91 просмотров20 страниц
The document discusses mood and modality in language. It defines modality as how a proposition's meaning is modified to reflect the speaker's attitude about its likelihood or truth. [1] Modality can be epistemic (knowledge-based), deontic (obligation-based), or dynamic (ability-based). [2] In English, modality is primarily expressed through modal verbs like may, must, will. [3] While associated with mood, modality stands on its own as a semantic category expressed through grammatical forms or judgments.
The document discusses mood and modality in language. It defines modality as how a proposition's meaning is modified to reflect the speaker's attitude about its likelihood or truth. [1] Modality can be epistemic (knowledge-based), deontic (obligation-based), or dynamic (ability-based). [2] In English, modality is primarily expressed through modal verbs like may, must, will. [3] While associated with mood, modality stands on its own as a semantic category expressed through grammatical forms or judgments.
The document discusses mood and modality in language. It defines modality as how a proposition's meaning is modified to reflect the speaker's attitude about its likelihood or truth. [1] Modality can be epistemic (knowledge-based), deontic (obligation-based), or dynamic (ability-based). [2] In English, modality is primarily expressed through modal verbs like may, must, will. [3] While associated with mood, modality stands on its own as a semantic category expressed through grammatical forms or judgments.
Although often associated with the category of MOOD (indicative, imperative, subjunctive, conditional) , category of MODALITY actually stands on its own, especially in the English language, where it is primarily marked by the system of modal verbs. The category of mood marks the verb phrase for factuality of the event/state (Indicative factual, Real Conditional and Imperative non-factual, Subjunctive and Unreal Conditionals counterfactual /hypothetical Modality may be defined as the way in which the meaning of a proposition is modified as to reflect the speaker's/ subjects attitude towards the likelihood of the proposition content being or becoming true. E.g. Indicative: It is raining outside. (Fact, verifiable) But: If it rains, we shall stay indoors. (non-factual) Rain, rain, and go away, little Johnny wants to play... May it rain in your life forever! (non-factual) If it rained now, we would get soaked (but fortunately, it is not) (counter-factual) If it had rained yesterday for the match, we would have been soaked (but fortunately it did not). (counter-factual) Now, let us analyse these examples: It must be raining outside. It may be raining outside. It could be raining outside. It will be raining outside. Or, You must go to bed now . You may go to your room now. I will do as I please. Or, I can speak Japanese. I could swim when I was five. The above examples illustrate different kinds of modal meanings. In the first set of examples the speaker is assessing the likelihood of the proposition it is raining outside being true. Such meanings can be termed possibility, necessity and prediction and they typically involve human judgement of what is or is not likely to happen. Such modality is called extrinsic (outer modality) because the speaker has no control over the events/states marked by the verb phrase a more common term is EPISTEMIC modality (modality of knowledge). In the second set of examples, the speaker imposes obligation on somebody else, or gives permission for something to be done or makes a prediction about something that is to happen in the future In some way, the speaker controls the events that may become true in the future, and that depends to a quite high degree on the strength of the speakers authority Such modality is considered intrinsic (inner modality). A more common term is DEONTIC (modality of obligation). The third set of examples refers to humans possessing certain abilities. It is not modality in the strict sense of the word, since there is no detectable human attitude towards the content of the clause, but we still call it DYNAMIC modality. THE MODAL VERBS
This set of verbs in English represent but one way of
carrying across modal meanings Modal meanings are also conveyed by other word classes (adverbs, nouns, adjectives) or grammatical categories (mood, verb tenses, aspectual forms, negation,questions, etc) However, modality as a semantic category is represented in a language either by a system of grammatical forms or by a system of judgements, or by a combination of those Since the modal verbs formally belong to the grammatical system of the English language, we could say that they represent grammaticalized modality. They are so special compared to other verbs of the English language that we can talk of a separate subsystem in English, i.e. the grammar of modals. Morpho-syntactically, the modals are highly reduced. There is no inflection to mark any grammatical category in modals (no 3rd person plural in the Present, no ed forms for the past, or ing/en participles. For that reason, they are called defective verbs in traditional grammar). They have no non-finite forms . The question arises then, what is it that makes them so special? Try to answer the following questions: 1) How come that even the most uneducated native speaker of English will not make a mistake when using modals? For instance, mistake must for might, or can for will? They are always followed by the bare infinitive (present, progressive or perfective). They exhibit the NICE properties, which puts them in the class of secondary auxiliaries. N- negation; they are negated by NOT You MUST NOT come back ever again! I inversion: they exchaange position with the subject in question formation MAY I go now, sir? C code: they can stand instead of the whole predicate I could sing like a lark when was young. I COULD too. E emphasis; they can be used for emphasis Will you ever stop? I WILL stop all right! Their morphology and syntax being so limited, the English modals had to develop a high semantic potential that is extremely context sensitive; for that reason, mistaking one modal for another could bring about the changes in meaning that would direct the message and communication the wrong way. Compare: You must go home now : You might go home now. How come that you can say : You should see a doctor and You ought to see a doctor? Or You may go now and You can go now. I will receive him tomorrow and I shall receive him tomorrow. Some modals overlap in meaning, though they are not 100% synonymous . That is a consequence of an ongoing process called the semantic change. That fact makes the modal verbs probably the most difficult part of the English grammar to explain as well as to master. Take the following utterances: He must listen to the programme. She may leave. She can tell the facts. Build as many situations (contexts) as you can think of and explain what your modals mean in those situations. The English modal verbs can be classified into groups: central : MUST, CAN/COULD, SHALL/SHOULD, WILL/WOULD, MAY/MIGHT (9 forms) marginal : OUGHT TO, NEED, DARE, USED TO (4 forms) Apart from these forms, there are also the so-called semi- modals and modal idioms. Semi-modals: BE ABLE TO, BE ABOUT TO, BE APT TO, BE BOUND TO, BE CERTAIN TO, BE DESTINED TO, BE DUE TO, BE GOING TO, BE LIKELY TO, BE MEANT TO, BE OBLIGED TO, BE SUPPOSED TO, BE SURE TO, BE WILLING TO, HAVE TO. Modal idioms: HAD BETTER, HAD RATHER, WOULD RATHER, WOULD SOONER, WOULD AS SOON, MAY/MIGHT AS WELL, HAD BEST, BE TO, HAVE GOT TO.