Pragmatic essence of linguistic modality in media discourse

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of correlation between target socio groups in media discourse. It investigates the role modality plays as pragmatic-functional aspect of discourse analysis and studies modality as means of expressing evaluative meaning. The functional aspect of this view reflects the broad objectives of functional linguistics: i.e. relating linguistic structures to social structures. The pragmatic aspect reflects an emphasis that the reader is dependent on a corresponding view of the relationship between the reader, the writer and the text. The studies of modern linguists are broadly concerned with the analysis of ideology in discourse. The article observes the effects language can have on people, whether through journalistic writing, advertising literature, politics, science. The study became an attempt to investigate how and which aspects of language play more significant roles in ideology manipulating hearers / readers. It was seen that modality has not only received little consideration at the practical level, but that it had also been handled through the process of modal categorization; i.e. at the theoretical descriptive level. The theoretical aspect of the article is based on the belief that the speech is aimed at attaining certain goals or targets. The article deals with a problem of correlation and interaction between writer and reader, speaker and hearer, text producers and social actors in the process of interpretation. The article investigates the ways the problem can be settled in view of modality as a parameter of discourse analysis to define goals for the target groups outlined above. The study in the article refers to Halliday’s overarching functions: ideational, interpersonal and textual. The article concludes that the realiser of the interpersonal function of language, modality may be used as a linguistic tool to direct and control the behavior of the people.