The category of modality in English language

The category of modality in English language

Introduction

Human thinking appears as a result of the world perception and it is closely connected with language – the primary means of its expression. The category of modality is the category of language and presents in itself the judgement concerning the reality or the statement related to its ties and phenomena. In general, modality can be defined as the speaker‘s attitude to the content of his statement and the relation of the content of the statement to the reality.

Modality is the grammaticalized expression of the subjective attitudes and opinions of the speaker including possibility, probability, necessity, obligation, permissibility, ability, desire, and contingency.

As a semantic-grammatical category concerned with the status of the proposition that describes the event. In other words, modality allows language users to express what is, what would be, what may be, and what should be.

The problem is the category of modality relevant and meaningful for linguistics. In the category of modality and its means of expression is particularly evident relationship of language and thinking, so the modality of special interest for the study.

This paper describes the linguistic means of expression of modality in English language of the Press. The modern linguistics considers the language phenomena on the text (discourse) level, modality is not an exception. The most vivid expression modality acquires in fiction, as for the modality in publicistic texts, it certainly has some special features. The distinguishing feature of the publicistic style is - to exert a constant and deep influence on public opinion, to convince the reader that the interpretation given by the writer is the only correct one [4, p.287]. Therefore, the most important place within the whole modality of the publicistic texts is occupied by the modality of necessity. Another concept important for the understanding of the text modality is its pragmatic aim – the intention of the addresser to exert an influence on the addressee – which is expressed by various language means and modality as well [1].

The primary task of our study is to determine all language means expressing necessity in English publicistic texts. The task was considered in two following aspects:

- determine the language means

- explore the peculiar features of necessity.

This work is of interest to a broad readership and specialists who study questions of lexicology, morphology, syntax, English grammar.

Grammatical mood in English

All languages express modality through either grammatical mood or modal systems (or both). The English language expresses modality through grammatical mood and modal verbs.

Grammatical mood is defined as a set of distinctive verb forms that express modality. Modality is the grammaticalized expression of the subjective attitude of the speaker, which includes opinions about possibility, probability, necessity, obligation, permissibility, ability, desire, and contingency. Although modality in English is often expressed through modal verbs, the English language also has three grammatical moods:

Indicative mood

Subjunctive mood

Imperative mood

Indicative Mood

The first grammatical mood in English is the indicative mood. The indicative mood allows speakers to form sentences that express assertions, denials, and questions of actuality or strong probability. For example, the following sentences are examples of the English indicative:

Coal mining is a major industry of Appalachia.

Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable came to Illinois via the Mississippi River.

We still need someone to buy ingredients for the punch.

Do you know where the old man lives?

How much wood does a woodchuck chuck?

Has the train arrived?

The indicative mood is the most frequently used grammatical mood in the English language. The majority of sentences, at least in written English, are in the indicative mood.

Subjunctive Mood

The second grammatical mood in English is the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive mood allows speakers to form sentences that express commands, requests, suggestions, wishes, hypotheses, purposes, doubts, and suppositions that are contrary to fact at the time of the utterance. For example, the following sentences are examples of the English subjunctive:

It is recommended that you be on time.

He will let us know if he can arrive early.

If I were a rich man, then I would have all the money in the world.

My boss insists that the computer be repaired by a licensed contractor.

They wish we were able to type faster.

Had the man been driving carefully, he would not have crashed into the tree.

The subjunctive mood is only distinguishable from the indicative mood third person singular present subjunctive and in most persons and numbers that require a conjugated form of the verb to be. However, native speakers often use indicative forms in place of subjunctive forms. The present subjunctive mood also always appears in verb phrases that contain modal verbs.

Imperative Mood

The third grammatical mood in English is the imperative mood. The imperative mood allows speakers to form sentences that make direct commands, express requests, and grant or deny permission. For example, the following sentences are examples of the English imperative:

Dance like you’ve never danced before!

Stop at the corner.

Turn right at the courthouse.

Eat your vegetables!

Party like it’s 1999.

Swallow the entire does of medicine.

The imperative mood is also the most frequently used mood in the English language. Both written and spoken commands, directions, and recipes all take the imperative mood of English verbs.

Semantics and pragmatics of English modal verbs

Modal verbs are a type of auxiliary verb that expreses modality in the English language. Modality is the grammaticalized expression of the subjective attitude of the speaker, which includes opinions about possibility, probability, necessity, obligation, permissibility, ability, desire, and contingency. The nine modal verbs in English are:

can

could

may

might

must

shall

should

will

would

The following sections provide the most common semantic and pragmatic meanings and uses of the nine modal auxiliary verbs in English.

Meanings of Can

The modal verb can primarily expresses ability, permission, possibility, contingency, and requests. For example:

Some midwives can attend home births. (ability)

This patron can borrow that reference book. (permission)

Your son can start kindergarten in the fall. (possibility)

You can borrow my car if you fill up the tank with gas. (contingency)

Can you buy some more toilet paper? (request)

Meanings of Could

The modal verb could primarily expresses ability, permission, suggestions, possibility, probability, and requests. For example:

He could never ride a bike. (ability)

You could have borrowed our ladder. (permission)

You could check for the book at the library. (suggestion)

My contact could have fallen down the drain. (possibility)

The car could catch fire at any moment. (probability)

Could you pick up a DVD on your way home? (request)

Meanings of May

The modal verb may primarily expresses possibility, probability, permission, and requests. For example:

She may take a calculus class in the spring. (possibility)

It may rain tonight. (probability)

Your sister may borrow my dress. (permission)

May we go to the zoo this weekend? (request)

Meanings of Might

The modal verb might primarily expresses possibility, suggestions, commands, and requests. For example:

The baby might fall asleep early. (possibility)

You might want to try a different pair of pants. (suggestions)

You might keep that opinion to yourself next time. (command)

Might we go hiking next weekend? (request)

Meanings of Must

The modal verb must primarily expresses obligation, necessity, commands, and deductions. For example:

She must finish her vegetables first. (obligation)

You must take the class Introduction to Graduate Studies. (necessity)

Students must stay out of the Dark Forest. (command)

That must be Espen on the phone. (deduction)

Meanings of Shall

The modal verb shall primarily expresses futurity, suggestions, offers, and commands. For example:

We shall take the train to the city. (futurity)

Shall you paint your living room blue? (suggestions)

Shall I finish the laundry for you? (offer)

Employees shall not drink during working hours. (command)

Meanings of Should

The modal verb should primarily expresses suggestions, necessity, obligation, and deductions. For example:

You should leave the cuffs on that blouse. (suggestion)

Employees should stay home when ill. (necessity)

You should love your children. (obligation)

We should need only a few more hours. (deduction)

Meanings of Will

The modal verb will primarily expresses futurity, commands, suggestions, offers, and requests. For example:

A nurse will call you this afternoon. (futurity)

You will wash the dishes right now. (command)

You will want to see the bay if you visit Mobile. (suggestion)

My husband will help you put up your Christmas lights. (offer)

Will you please pass the salt? (request)

Meanings of Would

The modal verb would primarily expresses contingency, futurity, habituality, desires, preferences, suggestions, offers, commands, and requests. For example:

I would help if you asked. (contingency)

She said she would come tonight. (futurity)

My brother would read that book every night before bed. (habituality)

I would like some milk please. (desire)

Would you prefer coffee or tea? (preference)

You would want to avoid the main highway this time of day. (suggestion)

She would take your Sunday shift. (offer)

Would you shut up! (command)

Would you lend me a baking dish? (request)

Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that express modality in English. The nine English modals — can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, and would — each have multiple meanings depending on use and context.

As was mentioned earlier, the most important place within the whole modality of the publicistic texts is occupied by the modality of necessity. The English language disposes of the following modal verbs expressing necessity: must, have to, need, should (ought to), be to, shall.

Their principal meanings include the following sub-meanings:

MUST – logical necessity, obligation, compulsion, order, prohibition, inference (intrinsic modality);

HAVE TO – the same meanings but extrinsic;

NEED – logical necessity, absence of necessity;

SHOULD – obligation in the form of advice, moral obligation, less certain necessity expressed by the speaker;

BE TO – planned necessity, order, something inevitable;

SHALL – compulsion, strict order, threat or warning.

Example: What‘s happening to this country? Who says we have to make a choice between murder and adultery as a reason to throw a bum out? What we are doing, making a list? Let‘s see… a congressman must resign if he/she commits murder, rape, torture, child molestation, genocide or adultery – wait a minute – that‘s six and we can only have five impeachable offenses. So, OK, we‘ll dump the least offensive from the list of man‘s-inhumanity-to man reasons why a congressman should resign or be tossed out. Of course, we don’t have to make that choice. Congressmen should be ousted for both murder and adultery (not to mention the others). Even in jaded Europe, politicians still resign because of sex-scandals with interns. At least they have some shame left. But here in America – where we‘re supposed to be leaders of the free world – I have to listen to Dick Morris joke that if all the adulterous politicians were removed from Congress, they couldn‘t hold a quorum. (WorldNetDaily.com)

In the given passage we can observe a wide range of modal verbs expressing both objective (must) and subjective (have to, should) modality. The author chooses the verbs according to his communicative aim – to express his own opinion or to underline that something depends on the external factors.

The lexical units of this kind can be termed modalized [5]. Modalized verbs were described in detail and classified by V.Karassik [5]. The author subdivides the modalized verbs into several subgroups, for example verbs of permission, prohibition, compulsion, government, necessity, etc. The field of our study covers the subgroups of compulsion, government, necessity.

Within each of the subgroups we can single out the following sub-meanings:

1. Compulsion – coercive influence, persuasive influence, encouraging influence;

2. Government – supervision, reprimand, condemn, submission;

3. Necessity – obligation, moral wish, demand, logical necessity, condemned behaviour.

Having analyzed English publicistic texts we discovered the following modalized verbs: the verbs of demand (need, require, demand, take, call for, invoke, claim).

The verbs of coercive influence (force, impose, urge, get, cause, make, pressure, provoke, enforce, compel).

The verbs of encouraging influence (encourage, inspire, motivate, insist, stimulate). The verbs of moral wish (deserve, earn, advise).

The verbs of persuasive influence (tempt, call on, induce, persuade, convince).

The verbs of government (dictate, order, direct, command).

The verbs of obligation (owe, pledge, guarantee, vow).

In the same way we have analyzed nouns and adjectives and determined the following semantic subgroups of nouns with the general meaning of necessity: Coercive influence (tax, obligation, pressure, emergency, deportation, subpoena, urgency, ruling).

Demand (demand, need, requirement, necessity, priority).

Government (rule, schedule, command, directive, order, maxim, instruction). Encouraging influence (stimulus, impetus, momentum, call for).

Moral wish (advice).

Obligation (duty, mission).

The same procedure was done with the adjectives:

Demand (necessary, urgent, coercive).

Government (due, binding).

Coercive influence (compulsory, obligatory).

Moral wish (worth).

Obligation (obliged, bound).

To grammatical means expressing necessity belong: the imperative mood, Subjunctive I, II, IV combined with certain lexical means, the infinitive used as an attribute.

Example: We want our politicians to serve us honorably in just this way – to have an understanding that next to their families, we are the most important duty in their lives. Our warriors are expected to sacrifice their lived for us, but all we ask of our political leaders is that they be self-sacrificing in the duties of their office. Second to their families, they should be honor-bound to us. (WorldNetDaily.com)

In this short passage both lexical and grammatical means are present.

Conclusion

After having determined all language means expressing necessity we are able to conclude. The most typical language means – modal verbs and lexical means, while the second place is comprised of grammatical means. As for the peculiarities of modality expression in a whole text, we can conclude that the text modality comprises the separate modalities of all the text constituents. The general meaning of the text modality appears on the basis of their integrity. According to our observation, the general text modality has two aspects: the objective aspect expressing the relation of the information to the reality, and the subjective aspect expressing the author‘s point of view. If we apply it to the publicistic texts, the objective aspect may express the necessity proceeding not from the author but from outside – logical, physical. The subjective modality always proceeds from the author and expresses his/her demand, recommendation, obligation, etc.

References

1. Воронков В.В. Прагматический аспект текста англоязычной публицистической журнальной статьи. Москва, 1991

2. Карасик В.И. Язык социального статуса. Москва, 1992

3. Петров Н.Е. О содержании и объеме языковой модальности. Новосибирск, 1982

4. Galperin I.R. Stylistics. Moscow, 1971

5. Palmer F.R. Mood and Modality. Cambridge, 2001

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