Semantics chapter 6 PG

Chapter VI MODALITY CHAPTER OUTLINE 6.1. Types of modality: epistemic and deontic 6.2. Mood as epistemic and deontic modality 6.3. Personal modality 6.4. Modal lexical verbs 6.5. Modality in subordinate clauses

Chapter VI MODALITY

CHAPTER OUTLINE

6.1 Types of modality: epistemic and deontic 6.2 Mood as epistemic and deontic modality 6.3 Personal modality

6.4 Modal lexical verbs

6.5 Modality in subordinate clauses

 Modality is a linguistic category (like aspect or tense) that modifies

the meaning of the event or action we talk about to include ways to

“influence” the event described.

 Modality may express what the speaker wants to do (give permission,

describe ability, suggest, request, offer, prohibit, express desires or necessity, etc.)

 Modality can also express whether the speaker believes, or is sure that what

he or she is saying is true

 Modality is the non-propositional part of the sentence which

concerns its factual status Modality helps speakers to qualify their statements with respect to possibility or necessity.

Compare:

He went to school yesterday.

I believe that he went to school yesterday.

 Epistemic modality (tình thái nhận thức): involves any modal system that

indicates the degree of commitment by the speaker to what he or she says – the extent to which the truth of a proposition is possible In other words, epistemic can be described as possibility-based

She is likely to be late.

They must have done the work by now.

5.1 TYPES OF MODALITY:

EPISTEMIC AND DEONTIC

 Epistemic modality expresses how sure or unsure the speaker is that the action

or event is true With this type of modality we express whether the speaker is

 sure that it’s true: That must be the correct answer.

 quite sure: Sarah may be at her office right now

 somewhat sure: It might rain tomorrow.

 very unsure: You could pass the exam.

 sure that it is not true This can’t be the end.

5.1 TYPES OF MODALITY:

EPISTEMIC AND DEONTIC

 Deontic modality (tình thái đạo nghĩa) : Deontic contains an

element of will; as such it is concerned with action rather than with belief, knowledge or truth, etc Deontic can be characterized as

necessity-based or obligation-based

You need to leave now.

You have to work harder on maths

5.1 TYPES OF MODALITY:

EPISTEMIC AND DEONTIC

 Deontic modality expresses ways to influence the action or event we talk about

With this type of modality we express ideas like:

 Ability: Sally can speak Swahili.

 Permission: The children may go to the trip.

 Necessity: You needn’t have studied so hard.

 Obligation: Carla mustn’t be late.

 Suggestions: She should go to England.

 Requests: Could you open the window?

 Etc

5.1 TYPES OF MODALITY:

EPISTEMIC AND DEONTIC

THE EXPRESSION OF MODALITY

Modality is expressed grammatically by means of:

 Modal verbs

You must speak up.

Sally can speak Spanish very well.

 Non-modal verbs with the same function as modal verbs

Donna had to leave early.

Sally will be able to speak Spanish soon.

 Adverbs, nouns, adjectives that indicate modality (especially

certainty, possibility, or probability)

Perhaps it will rain.

She is probably at home now.

She has the ability to play the piano

Halliday’s List of Modal Markers

 Verbs (Modal auxiliaries): may, might, will, would, should, must,

ought to, need, can, could.

 Adverbs: maybe, possibly, perhaps, probably, certainly, obviously.

 Adjectives: possible, likely, obvious, certain.

 Nouns: possibility, chance, likelihood, probability.

 In English, a process may be represented by the speaker as a fact, expressed by

an indicative sentence, a request or command, expressed by an imperative sentence, or a non-fact or improbability, indicated by a subjunctive sentence

 Part of what declaratives do is to express epistemic modality whereas

imperatives serve as expressions of deontic modality

6.2 MOOD AS EPISTEMIC AND

DEONTIC MODALITY

 Personal modality (personal subcomponent) is another subcomponent

of the interpersonal related to those features involving the speaker’s own contribution to the representational meaning of the sentence

6.3 PERSONAL MODALITY

 The speaker can participate by offering his comment on the form of what he is

saying, defining in some way under what condition he is speaking

Seriously, do you love her?

Personally, I don’t like chess.

Frankly (speaking), it is an unwise move.

Other modality markers of this type include: confidentially, generally, honestly, candidly.

 The speaker can get involved by offering a comment on the content

of what he is saying.

Obviously, nobody expected it to happen.

Wisely, she stayed at home.

To our surprise, they arrived home early

 By paraphrasing we can tell the difference between form-modality markers and

content-modality markers

Obviously, nobody expected it to happen

– It is obvious that nobody expected it to happen

Wisely, she stayed at home

– That she stayed at home is wise.

To our surprise, they arrived home early

– That they arrived home early is surprising.

Content - modality markers fall into two subgroups

+ Comment on the extent to which he believes that what he is saying is

true.

+ Comment other than on the truth value of what is said.

+ Comment on the extent to which he believes that what he is saying is

true:

(i) they express primarily a subjective view on the truth of what is said:

certainly, admittedly, surely, undeniably, undoubtedly,

certainly, admittedly, surely, undeniably, undoubtedly, unquestionably :

Certainly, they can do it if they like (I am certain that…)

(ii) markers of degrees of convictions as open to objective evidence:

clearly, evidently, obviously, plainly.

Obviously, they can do it if they like (It’s obvious to me that.)

(iii) markers of reality or lack of reality in what is said: actually,

officially, technically, theoretically.

Actually, they can do it if they like.

+ Comment other than on the truth value of what is said.

(i) they can convey the attitude of the speaker without any necessary implication

that the judgment applies to the subject of the sentence or indeed to the speaker

Fortunately, Mary had the house insured against fire

(ii) they can convey the speaker’s attitude, with an implication that the judgment

applies to the subject of the sentence

Wisely, Mary had the house insured against fire

 In some languages such as English, there are some ‘modal” lexical

verbs with complement clauses, mostly verbs with a 1st person subject, which can be used performatively to indicate the attitudes and opinions of the speaker, as in:

I think she is one of the smartest person in the world (epistemic)

I ask you to get the job done as soon as possible (deontic)

6.4 MODAL LEXICAL VERBS/ADJECTIVES

6.4 MODAL LEXICAL VERBS/ADJECTIVES

 Certain adjectives in English can also be employed in just the same

way, for example:

It is necessary that she should finish the report by noon tomorrow.

It is likely that the kids will be late for class.

There are three types of subordinate clauses:

- Either as the object of the main verb or as the subject.

I believe that I did the right thing.

It is likely that she will help the kid.

6.5 MODALITY IN SUBORDINATE CLAUSES

- Adverbial subordinate clauses.

I said louder so that they could hear me well

I have come to attend the Games

- The relative clause.

The fire destroyed the house I built 20 years ago

- The subordinates simply present the proposition while the main clause or the main

lexical verb indicates modality

I believe that she did the right thing.

 The main clause “I believe” does no more than express the speaker’s epistemic

modality – that is his belief The speaker’s belief is toward the proposition in the subordinate clause “She did the right thing”

6.5 MODALITY IN SUBORDINATE CLAUSES

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