Costas Gabrielatos

Lecture slides for the module Analysing Language in Use, Lancaster University, 2011.

Based on Gabrielatos (2010, Ch.5), bit.ly/CG-Thesis

Modality

Modality: the big picture

Definition and types of modality

The linguistic expression of modality

Embedded modalities

Polysemy of central modals

Modality in action: what we can do with modality

Legally, we are prohibited frommaking exaggerated claimsabout the potency of thenutrients in this bottle.

Therefore, legally, we wouldn’ttell you that after drinking this,Eugene from Kansas startedusing horseshoes as athighmaster or that this drinkgave Agnes from Delawareenough strength to bench pressllamas. Heck, we can’t even tellyou this drink gives you thepower to do a thousand pinkiepush-ups … just ask Mike inQueens.

Legally, we can’t say stuff likethat – cause that would bewrong, you know?

Initially, the text admits what the company is notallowed to say, …

… but continues with examples of …

what they would be in a position to say if the restrictions did not exist, …

… i.e. what people wereable to do after drinking the product.

They actually do say what they admit they are not allowed to say – but without having ‘legally’ said it!

Attitude towards …

Likelihood DesirabilityPropensity

What I think

the state of affairs

is/was/will be

What I want

the state of affairs

to be/have been

What inherent

properties I see in

entities/situations

actuality

factuality

truth

knowledge

belief

possibility

probability

Directed

obligation

permission

promise

ability

capability

potentiality

aptitude

feasibility

Non-directed

volition

intention

willingness

desire

need

hope

wish

Past tense If the new approach were adopted, Britain would have to cut emissions by more than almost anyone else … [J2P 424]

Modal verbs Species that may become threatened with extinction are listed in Appendix II. [B7J 1782 ]

Lexical verb + that-clause

I don't think that's true. [A0L 3179]

Lexical verb+ infinitive

That seems to be the pattern. [A08 2026]

Adverbconstructions

It's probably simpler not to, not to worry about that that's just a quick a bit of a short cut way of doing it. [KLW 861]

Adjectiveconstructions

It is possible that the organizers had misread the calendar, believing that Saturday was the first of April, not the third? [EAL 61]

Noun constructions

There's a chance he may get in touch with you. [FAP 1531]

If-clauses If the pain persists, you must see your doctor about it. [K4D 254]

Modal verbs We are a relatively small group and therefore are limited in what we can do. [EFD 708]

Noun constructions

He had a real ability for making people decide exactly what they were trying to say and do. [A6E 387]

AdjectiveConstructions

The president is finely educated and is capable of talking like a professor and behaving like a despot. [A06 1043]

Adverbconstructions

These deficiencies in data are potentially remediable with improved data collection and aggregation (including record linkage). [FT3 1867]

Lexical verb+ infinitive

We tend to dismiss the ability of a lizard or a salamander to regrow a lost tail by saying that these are relatively simple and unspecialized creatures. [C9V 242]

Imperative Peel and core the fruit, cut it into crescent-moon slices and put it into the dish. [A7D 1422]

Noun constructions

But as a party and as a government we have a duty to encourage families to better themselves and discourage dependency. [A4K 274]

Adjectiveconstructions

A miscount necessitates a recount, and it is imperative that the numbers are accurate. [A77 1142]

Adverbconstructions

Each affix is obligatorily attached to a stem containing or consisting of an open set item: dis-obey , un-popular , central-ise , dismount-ed , long-er , etc. [FAC 149]

Lexical verb + infinitive

A gruff voice commanded us to enter. [H89 454]

Modal verbs We must discuss carefully whether that is the best way that money should be spent. [HHV 3077]

Modal verbs This is the architecture that dare not speak its name. [A24 4]

Nounconstructions

It was not my wish to be here at all, starting with day one! [JY7 4412]

Adjectiveconstructions

The British people are not willing to accept a sham royal marriage or a non-taxpaying monarch. [CBC 10103]

Adverbconstructions

Obviously most firms would readily sacrifice some profit if it meant that they were likely to be in business for some time. [HRK 98]

Lexical verb + infinitive

It bore a French stamp and suddenly she didn't want toknow what was inside that letter. [HGD 5]

Uncertainty

Distance from …

certainty

knowledge

actuality

actualisation

Modality: Core sense

Likelihood PropensityNon-Directed

DesirabilityDirected

Desirability

Extrinsic Intrinsic

Epistemic Non-Epistemic (Root)

Epistemic Dynamic Deontic

Modality types:Correspondence with other typologies

Modality types are not insulated from one another.

All types can modify all the others …

… including themselves.

Desirability(D)

‘They seem to think I should stand on my own two feet — which is only right and proper,’ she added hastily in case he should think she was whingeing. [HGY 1535]

Propensity But times have changed and chefs may not be able to get away with overcharging for simple dishes using relatively inexpensive ingredients for much longer. [A0C 1180]

Desirability(ND)

Would you be willing to deliver about 10 newsletters to houses nearby? [HU9 1000]

Likelihood We could possibly, could probably, er we could , say, we couldprobably give you fifteen [unclear] . [JJ8 170]

Desirability (ND)

Basically every day is an effort, that's the reality, and there's a great tendency to want life to be as it was. [A00 333]

Desirability(D)

Already for a number of years, employers have not been able to oblige women to retire at an earlier age than their male colleagues but by law must have a common retirement age that applies equally to both sexes. [CMK 1236]

Likelihood The reason for storing data and keeping it up to date is to provideinformation to managers for decisions. This usually meansproviding reports. While it is possible to specify many reportswhen the system is first designed, their number and contentchange frequently. … It must be possible for users to changeexisting reports, quickly and easily, and produce new ones. [H7B

1476-1480]

Propensity A key question is whether firms should be able to decide which regulatory body to join. [CBY 3862]

Desirability(ND)

For this approach to succeed, the patient must want to gain control over her feelings, and be motivated sufficiently to practise the techniques that are suggested. [B30 1259]

Likelihood The minibus passed Rose about a hundred yards from thecrematorium. She was still walking steadily. I wished we mighthave stopped and offered her a lift. [HD7 1582-1584]

Propensity I just want to be able to do what I like. [ACK 2463]

Desirability(D)

I always carry some with me, but I hope I never have to use it because I don't think I'd get near him with the needle . [ASH 919]

Likelihood My guess would be that if you were to place it over the letter and shuffle it about a bit, some sort of pattern might well emerge. [HWN 883]

Desirability(D)

EACH year in King county 16,500 stray dogs and cats are officially put to death. Ron Sims, a county council member, has had enough of this slaughter. He has therefore proposed that pet-owners should be obliged to sterilise their dogs and cats unless they pay $100 per animal for a breeder's licence. [ABG 766-768]

Source + Insufficientknowledge

Yes, I mean several points that you've raised, and these are things that I've picked up from the newspapers and I'll make the point, I'm no expert but I <pause> as I understand it, the allied ermforces have erm substantially greater number of aircraft in the area than the Iraqi airforce had, so that's one point. [KRL 221]

can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would (also ought to)

Central modals can express at least two modality types

It is not always possible to determine the type …

… but this is only a problem for linguists

The cases of will and can

Likelihood But once the Sun enters Gemini on the 19th and makes a decisive aspect to Jupiter on the 26th, the worst will be over. Breathtaking planetary aspects and movements will give your confidence and personal affairs a tremendous boost. [3500-3501]

Desirability(ND)

I won't take the responsibility for you losing the will to write, or for shackling your motives, or anything else. [FEE 3156]

Desirability(ND)?Likelihood?

‘Aren't you coming?’ ‘Not with that lot after your blood, no I'm not. I had enough of them in Schiaparelli, remember?’ He dismissed this with a cutting wave of his hand. ‘They're history,’ he said. ‘They won't bother us again.’ [CJA 2894-2899]

Likelihood It says in the paper they haven't identified her yet.’ ‘D'you mean you think it's her?’ asked Constance, irritated at this roundabout way of expression. ‘Did she fall or was she pushed?’ ‘It did cross my mind,’ said Clarissa. ‘It did say in the paper she was between thirty and forty, well nourished and well dressed.’ ‘Then it can't've been Barbs, can it?’ said Constance, chewing crisps, vulgarly, with her mouth open. ‘She goes round looking like something the cat dragged in.’ [G1D 2610-2616]

Propensity Education can make people more productive while health can only prevent them from becoming less productive. [FR4 833]

Desirability(D)

He picked up the telephone. The first number on the list was a posh-sounding hotel. ‘Can I speak to Mrs Travers, please … [A0F 749-751]

You are not able to trust Labour

You are not allowed to trust Labour

Inherent properties

of Labour make it

untrustworthy

There is evidence

that Labour is

untrustworthy

You shouldn’t trust Labour

When the modality is removed, two contradictory statements remain:

Musicogenic epilepsy is very rare.

Musicogenic epilepsy is notably more common than presented in the previous statement (i.e. not very rare).

Likelihood modality …

… allows the statement of contradictory positions.

… cushions the effect of strong statements.

Musicogenic epilepsy is generally considered to bevery rare, but Critchley wondered if it might benotably more common than supposed.Sacks, Oliver (2008). Musicophilia. Picador (pp. 26-27)

Musicogenic epilepsy is generally considered to bevery rare, but Critchley wondered if it might benotably more common than supposed.Sacks, Oliver (2008). Musicophilia. Picador (pp. 26-27)

Reporting the source of knowledge

Gaza border official Raed Fattouh said Israeli officials informed him the closure was due to the attack.[The Telegraph, 27 January 2009]

Israeli officialsBorder officialReporterREADER

Admitting insufficient knowledge

I don't know much about those things but I understand that once cash disappears into the vaults of Vaduz it never surfaces again. [CKC 3133]

I'll leave you to liaise with Charles on that. Can you make sure you

both have something to show me by lunchtime? [A0R 1174-1175]

Propensity Desirability (D)

‘I thought this was for North Yorkshire,’ complained an old lady. ‘I'm

going to see my sister in Kettlewell.’

‘That's North Yorkshire, luv. It's a Dales Explorer, go as you please

and get on and off when you want any day you like,’ he assured her.

‘Thank goodness for that!’ she exclaimed settling into her seat.

‘Only you're on the wrong bus,’ he continued, ‘you want the 800

Dales bus - you'll have to pick it up at Ilkley.’ [ACK 2071-2076]

Desirability (ND) Desirability (D)

Likelihood + Desirability (ND) Desirability (D)

‘Excuse me sir, but are you Mr. Preston?’

‘What is it?’

‘If you would come with me sir, someone would like to see you. It's

rather important.’ [FAP 2330-2332]

Political speeches/manifestos

What must/should be done

What will be done

What can/cannot be done

Academic papers

What the paper is going to focus on

What the research couldn’t cover

How results can/might be interpreted

What further research should be carried out

What further research is intended

Common core sense: uncertainty.

Modality expresses attitude to likelihood, propensity, and desirability.

Modality can be expressed by a large number of grammatical and lexical constructions.

Central modals are polysemous indeterminacy.

Modality types can modify one another.

Types interact with contextual elements to create communicative effects.

Different genres utilise modality types according to their communicative goals.