Abstract
This paper examines the distribution, patterned co-occurrences and function of the sensory perception verbs appear and seem and the three English modal auxiliaries can, may and must in the context of written academic discourse, concentrating on their contribution to the expression of evidentiality and epistemic modality. It is based on the premise that epistemic modality and evidentiality are different: the former refers to a category in which some hypothetical state of affairs is indexed and evaluated; the latter refers to a visual, sensorial, hearsay or inferential mode of knowing. The methodological framework is an integrated one, combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies to filter out discourse patterns which may contribute to the fore- and backgrounding of evidential meaning. Patterned co-occurrences of nevertheless and thus with appear and seem and can, may and must are assigned the status of a salient discourse pattern in and through which evidential meaning is foregrounded.
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