Stylistics and modality

There are three types of modality :

 

- Epistemic modality

 

- Deontic modality

 

- Evaluative modality

 

 

 

1- Epistemic modality :

 

It is an attitude via which the speaker shows his attitude to his own speech

 

 

 

e.g.  I will certainly come.

 

 

 

- Epistemic modality is realized through parts of speech either adjectives “sure”, adverbs showing certainty “certainly”, “definitely”.

 

- Modal auxiliaries such as “must” in the sense of deduction.

 

e.g The light is on. He must be in.

 

- “Will” in the sense of prediction, “May” in the sense of probability or possibility

 

- Modality is typically associated with orality .i.e. determining the degree of orality of a discourse.

 

2- Deontic Modality :

 

It is a relation between speaker and listener. It is the expression of your attitude implicitly or explicitly about the listener. It tells about interpersonal relations, hierarchy, i.e. who has the right to give directives and who is the receiver or the duty to do directives.

 

Deontic modality is achieved through modal auxiliaries and via mood such the imperative mood “do this” or the subjunctive mood through suggestion.

 

Epistemic modality is less oral than the deontic modality.

 

3- Evaluative modality :

 

Evaluative modality is the fact of using adjectives and adverbs with the aim of giving your evaluative judgment, what is oral is the subjectivity of your evaluation. Adjectives and adverbs are all used to show our subjective attitude.

 

Modalities are an oral matter since they express an attitude. They involve us in a form of subjectivity and bias…

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by: Guest Total views: 5 Word Count: 473 Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2008 Time: 12:00 AM 0 comments