MODALITY TYPES AND VALUE
INTERPERSONAL MEANING
Interpersonal meanings explore aspects of interaction between speakers.
The way we interact when we speak depends on and also influences the relationship we
have with other speakers and the language choices we make.
Interpersonal meanings explore aspects of interaction also in writing. When we write we
may decide to occupy different positions in relation to what we say (= proposition); we may
endorse a proposition explicitly or implicitly, we may decide not to do so and take some
distance, or we may decide to appear objective.
We generally write alone but when we write we inevitably engage with other people’s
opinions or writings, but we can do so in different degrees.
Polarity and Modality
Polarity is a choice between “yes” and “no”. But “yes” and “no” are not the only
possibilities in exchanges. There are intermediate degrees, various kinds of indeterminacy
that fall in-between. Examples are ‘sometimes’ and ‘maybe’.
These intermediate degrees, between the positive and negative poles, are known
collectively as MODALITY.
Modality: The grammatical system that is used by speakers and writers to make
assessments from the point of view of probability, usuality, temporality, typicality,
willingness, inclination, capacity and obligation.
Proposition: The content of a sentence. It does not pertain to interpersonal meanings but it
is useful to know what it means as we will mention it frequently
Mood: The mood is that part of the clause that includes Subject and Finite. As we will
see it can also include Modal Adjuncts
Projection: In a sentence you can have a projecting and a projected clause. In the
projecting clause you must have a mental or a verbal process. Only these process can
project. Mental processes project thoughts, verbal processes project locutions
Grammatical resources to express modality
- Modal adjuncts
- Modal operators
- Multi-word expressions
In English, a single form may be used to express more than one type of modality.
For example, both “must” and “may” have two distinct uses, which are often referred to as
distinct senses: epistemic vs. deontic
- Modalization (Epistemic modality): degrees of possibility or probability and usuality
- Modulation (Deontic modality): degrees of obligation and inclination or willingness
Modal adjuncts
They include also adverbs, that can be classified by their intensity
Modality through multi-words expressions
Both modalization and modulation can be expressed not just through Modal Adjuncts and
Modal Verbs but also through multi-word expressions.
Ex. «It is usual for» «It is likely that» —> modalization
«It is necessary» «It is required that» «x is supposed to» «x is willing to» —> modulation
VALUE OF MODALITY
Modality value concerns the
extent to which a writer or
speaker commits him/ herself to
the validity of what s/he is
writing/saying. This can be high,
median or low (for example
possible is low probability).
ORIENTATION OF MODALITY
Source of modality —> the speaker/writer/narrator or someone whose views are being
reported. To identify the source of modality is important in all text types: literature, opinion
articles science discourse, etc
The analysis of the source of modality and its orientation provides linguistic clues for
understanding writers/speakers’ social roles, their attitudes towards their cultural context
and the power relations they entertain with their audience in the communicative/ situational
context
Exercise:
John should go out —> implicit, subjective
It is likely that Mary knows —> explicit, objective
I think Mary knows —> explicit, subjective
Fred usually sits quiet —> implicit, objective
Modality type and value exercises:
1. It is likely that the age variable affects many other variables, such sa the friends a child
plays with —> modalisation, probability, median
2. He’s definitely not going to quit on his team. He is a warrior like me. —> modalisation,
probability, high
3. Cover and refrigerate until the fish is as “done” as you like. You may leave the fish in
the marinade for up to 3 hours longer if you like your ceviche very “done” —>
modulation, obligation, low
4. Th teacher must listen carefully to what the students say and model language patterns
—> modulation, obligation, high
5. And I read Robert Zoglin’s biography of Bob Hope. That must are a really good one
—> modalisation, high
6. He looked upon such emotions as something that must be tolerated in his fellow human
beings. —> Modulation, high
7. Conversation with children should include new, rare words. —> Modulation, median
8. Finding the right ingredients can sometimes be tough. —> Can —> modulation,
median/ sometimes —> modalisation, median
9. The next CIA director could be Tom Cotton. —> Modalisation, low
10. That the Miss Lucases and the Miss Bennets should meet to talk over a ball was
absolutely necessary; and the morning after the assembly brought the former to
Longbourn to hear and to communicate. —> should —> modulation, median/
absolutely —> modulation, high
11. “You expect me to account for opinions which you choose to call mine, but which I
have never acknowledged. Allowing the case, however, to stand according to your
representation, you must remember, Miss Bennet, that the friend who is supposed to
desire his return to the house, and the delay of his plan, has merely desired it, asked it
without offering one argument in favour of its propriety.”
“To yield readily - easily - to the persuasion of a friend is no merit with you.”
“To yield without conviction is no compliment to the understanding of either.” “You appear
to me, Mr. Darcy, to allow nothing for the influence of friendship and affection. A regard for
the requester would often make one readily yield to a request, without waiting for
arguments to reason one into it. I am not particularly speaking of such a case as you have
supposed about Mr. Bingley. We may as well wait, perhaps, till the circumstance occurs
before we discuss the discretion of his behaviour thereupon.
—> must —> modulation, high/supposed —> modulation, median/allow —> modulation,
low/would —> modalisation, median/often —> modalisation, probability, high/readily —>
modulation, willingness, high/may —> modulation, low
12. (1) If he [Darcy] had been wavering before, as to what he should do, which had often
seemed likely, the advice and entreaty of so near a relation might settle every doubt. In
that case he would return no more. Lady Catherine might see him in her way through
town; (Elizabeth)
(2) There certainly was some great mismanagement in the education of those two young
men. One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it. (Elizabeth)
KEY: In (1) Elizabeth’s thoughts are expressed with the modal verb “might”; this is
grammatically connected to the subject and provides a subjective example of
orientation
In (2) Elizabeth instantiates her orientation (prejudice) with the Mood Adjunct “certainly”;
this is not grammatically connected to the personal pronoun and provides a more
objective case than 1.
Orientation of Modality exercises
1. I think —> subjective, explicit
2. Might —> subjective, implicit
3. I think —> subjective, explicit
4. I suppose —> subjective, explicit
5. Usually —> objective, implicit
6. Maybe —> objective, implicit
7. Possible —> objective, explicit
EXERCISE (excerpts) —> practice orientation
First text:
I. Could —> modalization, probability, low, implicit, objective, source: “riders”
II. Can —> modalization, probability, median, explicit, subjective, source: “researchers”
III. May —> modalization, probability, median, implicit, subjective
IV. Might —> modalization, probability, low, implicit, objective, source: the writer
Second text:
I. Should —> modulation, willingness, median, implicit, subjective, source: “the
dilemma”
II. Usually —> modalization, usuality, median, objective, source: “
III. Must
IV. Would
V. May
