English Modals Research Articles

The role of semiotics in the unification of langue and parole: anAgentive Cognitive Construction Grammarapproach to English modals

AbstractThis article introducesAgentive Cognitive Construction Grammar, an emerging field that seeks to connect the linguistic system with speaker-meaning. The stated purpose is thus to tackle a pervasive disconnect in both cognitive linguistics and construction grammar, whereby the linguistic system (langue) and speaker selections (parole) are separated in the belief that language is essentially a mental process associated with the brain, and hence, separated from bodily experience. I contend this view by introducing a triadic model of construction (based on the Peircean sign) in which form and function are inextricably bound up withagency. This is possible because language is tethered to senses of movement and balance that connect experiences with the physical world with the mental. A major insight of the paper is that argument structure constructions partake of both linguistic and non-linguistic signs, which provides speakers with a means to verbalize their thoughts and distribute agency in specific events.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE CATEGORY OF MODALITY IN PHILOLOGY AND THEIR COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

This article is devoted to the means of expressing modality in English, their origins, semantic categories, alternatives to the Uzbek language, and translation problems. We first meet this subject in the works of Aristotle and our great scholar Abu Nasr al-Farabi. This research topic has been studied as one of the most relevant issues today

An Analysis of British and American English Modals and Semi-modals Usage over Time

An Analysis of British and American English Modals and Semi-modals Usage over Time

A Contrastive Study of Deontic Modality in Parallel Texts

This article is a contrastive study of deontic modal markers in three parallel texts. It analyses the modality system in the English, Russian and French texts of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights accounting for the ambiguity of some English modal verbs in legal texts and the difficulty in rendering them into a different language. The research reveals modal markers used to express deontic permission, deontic obligation and deontic prohibition in the three parallel texts; semantic similarities and discrepancies between these modal markers; and translation strategies employed to render the English modal markers into Russian and French. The article responds to the need for a systematic analysis of deontic modal markers in English, Russian and French due to the semantic and syntactic differences among the German, Romance and Slavic languages. The article concludes that French and Russian have more in common than French and English or Russian and English in terms of the deontic modality.

FEATURES OF MODAL WORDS IN THE ENGLISH AND UZBEK LANGUAGES

The scope of the category of modality in linguistics is extremely wide and is the object of the research, reflecting the rich aspects of communication. The concept of modality is considered as a category of meaning that expresses the attitude of a speaker to the content of the spoken word, to reality, that is, the objective reality is reflected in the mind of a speaker, and it expresses its attitude with the help of various semantic categories. The category of modality is widely used in lexicology, phraseology, word formation, morphology and linguistics of the text. Modal words are words that express the speaker's own opinion, attitude to events. This attitude is in terms of the clarity or ambiguity of an idea. With the help of modality, a meaningful connection is established between the external aspects of the expressed thought that are not related to the language, and the effectiveness of the connection with the event is achieved. Modal words are separated by a pause in speech and a comma in writing. When modal words are reused or accompanied by an emotionally significant word, the meaning is reinforced. More than one simple word may be used in colloquial speech. Modal words and words with modal meaning are closely related, and one of the current tasks of functional grammar is to define the characteristics of each of them. The presence of wide possibilities in the manifestation of the modal category, of course, indicates that this category is a universal phenomenon and its study is of great importance for understanding the essence of a language construction. In this article, the author analyzes the relationships of the language to the most complex and comprehensive category of modality in English and Uzbek, as well as the expression of the category of modality. Also, the examples analyzed in Gafur Gulam's story "A Naughty Boy" clearly show the diversity of attitudes towards this category.

Epistemic and Deontic Modality in Romanian and Serbian Scientific Discourse

Abstract Modal verbs expressing epistemic and deontic modality can be used as discourse markers to implicate the authors’ attitude to the propositional content (doubt, certainty, hedging). Based on English modality framework, this paper discusses the uses of modals in expressing author’s attitude in Romanian and Serbian scientific discourse (social sciences and humanities) and compares these uses in the two languages.

Investigating Teachers’ and Graduates’ Remarks on the Translation of English Modals into Vietnamese Provided by Google Translate

Investigating Teachers’ and Graduates’ Remarks on the Translation of English Modals into Vietnamese Provided by Google Translate

Contrast, Contact, Convergence? Afrikaans and English Modal Auxiliaries in South African Parliamentary Discourse (1925–1985)

Abstract This article investigates modal auxiliaries in original and translated Afrikaans and South African English parliamentary discourse in the period 1925–1985. Against the background of the sociolinguistic history of language contact in the bilingual South African parliament (1910–1994), it analyses (a) the contrastive differences in the use of modal auxiliaries in South African English and Afrikaans, (b) potential cross-linguistic influence in the use of modals between the two languages, and (c) the way in which contrastive differences and cross-linguistic influence are reflected in translations. In both languages, modal auxiliaries are more common in parliamentary discourse than in general usage. There is little evidence of overall convergence; there are, however, cross-linguistic similarities in specific pragmatic uses of modals in parliament. Translations show a large degree of shining-through from the source text, alongside adjustment to target norms; the tension between these two forces is variable, and influenced by social factors.

Recent change in modality in informal spoken British English: 1990s–2010s

Studies in modality comprise a complex canon of functional, formal, sociological and diachronic analyses of language. The current understanding of how English language speakers use modality is unclear; while some research argues that core modal auxiliaries are in decline, they are reported as increasing elsewhere. A lack of contemporary and representative spoken language data has rendered it difficult to reconcile such differing perspectives. To address this issue, this article presents a diachronic study of modality using the Spoken BNC2014 and the spoken component of the BNC1994. We investigate the frequency of core modal auxiliaries, semi-modals, and lexical modality-indicating devices (MIDs), as well as the modal functions of the core modal auxiliaries, in informal spoken British English, between the 1990s and 2010s. The results of the analysis are manifold. We find that core modal auxiliaries appear to be in decline, while semi-modals and lexical MIDs appear relatively stable. However, on a form-by-form basis, there is significant evidence of both increases and decreases in the use of individual expressions within each modal set. As a result, this study problematises form-based studies of change, and illustrates the value and coherence that functional analyses of modality can afford future work.

Finding the force: a novel word learning experiment with modals

This study investigates the semantic and pragmatic challenges of acquiring the force of English modals, which express possibility (e.g., might) and necessity (e.g., must). Children seem to struggle with modal force through at least age 4, over-accepting both possibility modals where adults would prefer necessity modals, and necessity modals in possibility situations. These difficulties are typically blamed on pragmatic or conceptual immaturity. In this study, we sidestep these immaturity issues by investigating the challenges of modal learning through a novel word learning experiment with adults, for different 'flavors' of modals: epistemic (knowledge-based) versus teleological (goal-based), and comparing novel modals with actual English modals. We find that when learning possibility modals, adult learners behave as expected: they accept novel modals in necessity situations, both in epistemic and teleological contexts, but less often after they've learned a pragmatically more appropriate necessity modal. However, when learning necessity modals, participants manage to learn the right force (i.e., reject them in possibility situations) for epistemic scenarios only; with teleological scenarios, they accept them in possibility situations. We propose that an overlap in modal flavor explains their behavior, specifically, the competition with an ability interpretation in teleological but not epistemic scenarios, which could also contribute to children's difficulty with necessity modals reported in the acquisition literature.

Saudi EFL learners’ use of English Modal Verbs: A study of challenges and solutions

It has been reported that English modal verbs can be one of the most difficult grammatical structures to be mastered by EFL learners. Hence, this research aims to explore the reasons behind Saudi EFL students' low proficiency level in using English modal verbs. It also seeks practical solutions for enhancing the students' competency in using them. The study participants are 13 Saudi EFL instructors who are requested to answer an open-ended descriptive question. These responses are then coded thematically to identify the recurring themes. Findings of the study show that the most prominent reasons for students' poor performance in the use of modal verbs are: (i) absence of Arabic equivalents to English modals; (ii) difficulty of English structures; (iii) multiple language functions of English modals; (iv) demotivation of students; (v) use of traditional textbooks and teaching pedagogy. Moreover, the study shows that to increase the Saudi EFL learners’ proficiency in the use of English modals, (i) EFL instructors need to use communicative teaching methodology; (ii) urge students for more practice and; (iii) use suitable textbooks and teaching resources. The study recommends inclusion of the grammar component according to the students’ existing knowledge and explicit teaching.

English modality and Saudi EFL students

This study explored the competence of Saudi EFL students in the use of English modality. It aimed to: 1) Identify Saudi EFL students’ level regarding use of modal verbs; 2) Identity the modal(s) they use most accurately; 3) Examine whether there is a significant difference in their ability attributed to the semantic function expressed by modality; and 4) Determine whether students’ level impacts their competence in the use of modals. An existing test was adapted, developed, and administered to 31 students at three universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Findings revealed students’ low proficiency in the use of modals—only 24.35% of the test items were correctly answered. Might was the most correctly used modal—37.09% of the students used it accurately. The study found significant differences between students’ use of modals attributed to the sematic function. Significant differences were also found between the use of modals of possibility and obligation for the sake of possibility, and between volition and obligation for the sake of obligation. However, no significant difference between students’ responses attributed to the study level was reported. The study emphasized greater academic space for the component of English modals and adoption of learner-appropriate pedagogies.

A Think-Aloud Study of Function-to-Form Mapping in Modal Use: Based on the Concept-Oriented Approach

Due to the complexity of Chinese modal system in terms of function-form relation, misuse of Chinese modal verbs is quite common among learners of Chinese from other countries. Based on the concept-oriented approach, this paper aims to investigate how learners of Chinese as a foreign language choose modal forms to express the concept of modality in terms of function-to-form mapping, so as to shed light on the teaching of modal use. Modal forms investigated in this study are five Chinese modal verbs whose functions are categorized into three conceptual domains: the Speech Act Domain, the Event Domain and the Epistemic Domain. Six learners of Chinese from Poland were recruited to participate in a modal test which comprised of 24 pairs of modal sentences in English and Chinese. They were asked to think aloud while they chose Chinese modal verbs to match the functions expressed by the English modal verbs. Based on the think-aloud data, it is found that in all the three conceptual domains participants have perceived ambiguities between modal verbs which express similar functions, especially in the Epistemic Domain. Competition between these modal verbs arose in their mind where ambiguity was perceived in the process of function-to-form mapping. Qualitative analyses of the think-aloud data revealed that Epistemic Domain is the most difficult domain for the participants in terms of function-to-form mapping, and “Hui/Neng” is the most confusing pair of Chinese modal verbs which may require more explicit instruction. Apart from studying the cognitive processing of modal forms and the cognitive ambiguity between them, this think-aloud case study also manifested the influence of social context on second language acquisition. It carries pedagogical implications for modal acquisition and indicates a socio-cognitive perspective for future studies on modality.

Конативная функция конструкций, выражающих удивление, в шведском, английском и русском языках

The article presents the results of a comprehensive comparative analysis of the concept “surprise” in Swedish, English and Russian fiction books manifested by syntactic constructions performing the conative function. Three Swedish fiction novels by Selma Lagerlöf and their translations into English and Russian were chosen as the material for the study. 135 complexes of examples (1 complex = 1 Swedish token + 1 corresponding English token + 1 corresponding Russian token) were selected using continuous sampling method. First, it was found that the function could be manifested in 2 directions (modes): extroversion and introversion. Second, 2 syntactic patterns expressing the function were identified: imperatives and vocatives. The analysis of their interaction in the three languages showed the following results. In Swedish and Russian, the introverted imperative pattern was used while in English modal verb+infinitive extraverted pattern was mostly used. As far as vocatives, similarly to imperatives, both extroversive and introversive modes were present. However, in contrast to imperative patterns, introversive mode prevailed in vocatives in all the three languages. Further studies might involve comparative analysis of the modes and patterns manifesting surprise in other languages of origin.

Analysis of a Grammatical Category in English—Modal Verbs

This article aims at introducing the modal verbs, analysing the difficulties in teaching and providing instructional implications for teaching modals from three aspects, namely, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. In particular, this article uses can to demonstrate the problems in teaching. Importantly, the instructional implications for grammar teaching are presented which orgranised around the concept of form, meaning, and function. It is suggested that teaching modals could balance students’ ability of identifying the meaning and function of modals appropriately and using them properly.

Historical Sources of Double Modality in English

Historical Sources of Double Modality in English

Mood and modality in English

Mood and modality in English

Grammaticalization of English Modal Verbs: Diachronic Approach

Grammaticalization of English Modal Verbs: Diachronic Approach

A task-based teaching proposal for raising awareness of commissive speech acts through English modal verbs

"This paper focuses on one of the latest and much integrated subdomains of linguistics – pragmatics – with the objective of bringing forward a proposal on teaching the commissive speech acts (promises and threats) expressed through modal verbal units. This is meant to help students internalize this linguistic function, which will, in turn aid them to take part in daily conversations and other activities, such as reading, writing and listening to English excerpts, thus integrating the pragmatic competence into other skills. The study, hence, proposes to facilitate the understanding and use of these language strategies, since commissives are a very common type of speech acts. Moreover, a task-based approach is adopted in designing the teaching plan, as it is one of the best communicative teaching techniques, allowing students to learn through meaningful interaction and being proved to bring positive results to the language learners."

On English modals, modal meaning and argument structure

In an interesting paper, Fong (2020) raises objections to my approach to English modals (and modality in general) which he views as too general and not fully compliant with the postulates of Construction Grammar. In this response paper, I intend to explain in some depth the benefits of my approach, as well as the reasons why Construction Grammar, in particular Cognitive Construction Grammar (Goldberg, 1995, 2006, 2019), needs to be interrogated and adapted as a conceptual framework to explain language learning and processing.