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Modality and the editorial

Modality and the editorial. Modality. A term used in syntactic and semantic analysis to refer to meanings connected with degrees of necessity, obligation or desirability It is expressed mainly by verbs but also by associated forms

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Modality and the editorial

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  1. Modality and the editorial

  2. Modality • A term used in syntactic and semantic analysis to refer to meanings connected with degrees of necessity, obligation or desirability • It is expressed mainly by verbs but also by associated forms • Modality is a general term which describes unrealised states and possible conditions and the forms of language which encode them such as: • possibly, perhaps, could be, should be and ought to be • Modality is normally conveyed by modal verbs

  3. Modal verbs • They may express more than one kind of modality • E.g ‘He must be in bed, because we have looked everywhere else ‘ is a conjecture • ‘He must be in bed by nine o’clock. He’s got school tomorrow’ is an order or obligation

  4. The interpersonal function of language • the speaker’s or writer’s attitude towards or point of view about a state of the world • Certainty or possibility or probability • Trying to get things done or trying to control the course of events; • degrees of obligation and whether something is necessary, desirable permitted or forbidden, volition and instructions

  5. Modal adverbs • Modality can also be signalled by modal adverbs such as: possibly, probably, presumably, definitely - as well as by related adjectives or nouns

  6. Functions of modal forms • Modal forms are an interpersonal aspect of grammar and are central to all spoken and written language use • In conversational discourse they serve to mark out personal relationships and to convey important features such as politeness, indirectness, assertiveness etc

  7. Subjective assessment • Modality in language underlines our subjective assessment of things • E.g adverbs like: probably, generally, apparently; • Phrases like: it is certain, I am sure • Verbs such as: it seems, it appears • Or the use of the present tense

  8. Degrees of subjectivity • All these encode different degrees of subjective response in the view of the speaker or writer

  9. Forms and meanings • Modality also covers indications either of a kind of speech act or the degree of certainty with which something is said • He left at once differs in modality from Leave at once • He can’t have left’(epistemic) from You can’t leave now (deontic)

  10. Forms and meanings cont’d • You must leave (obligation) differs from ‘You can leave if you like’ (permission) • perhaps he has left differs from He has definitely left

  11. Interpersonal meanings • Modality is concerned with assertion and assertiveness, tentativeness, commitment, detachment and other crucial aspects of interpersonal meaning (as opposed to ideational or content meanings) • They form a part of the tenor of discourse • They are part of how a person presents his/her self through language

  12. Two things • Verb phrases without a modal auxiliary are “about” the subject of a sentence. They state a proposition • Statements or questions which contain a modal auxiliary are about two things: • 1. the proposition and • 2. the speaker’s or (in the case of questions) the listener’s opinion or judgement of it

  13. Signalling involvement • The speaker’s choice of modal expressions signals both the degree and type of involvement a speaker has in the content of his/her message

  14. Distancing • So called past forms are not related to past time but rather to remoteness or distance this can be in terms of: • time, • relationship or • likelihood. • This is useful to remember when looking at politeness conventions and issues of register

  15. Type of modality 1: Epistemic • Epistemic or extrinsic modality: commitment to the truth of the proposition: i.e. the speaker’s confidence in the truth of the proposition expressed, and reflect the certainty and the authority of these propositions. • It refers to the logical status of events or states, assessments of likelihood. Associated with confidence and lack of confidence but also with power and authority

  16. Typeofmodality 2: Deontic or intrinsicmodality • The system of duty, attitude to the degree of obligation which the speaker does not expect to be disputed on. • Associated with power and formality • Directives (warnings, requests, advice, suggestions, permissions) • Commands, instructions

  17. Forms expressing modality Epistemic: modal verbs, modal lexical verbs, modal adverbs, phrases and expressions, perception verbs Deontic: modal verbs, deontic expressions, evaluative adverbs and adjectives

  18. Degrees of modality • (LOW) Permission - volition - duty - obligation insistence - command (HIGH) • (LOW) Possibility - probability - logical necessity – prediction - factuality (HIGH)

  19. Idiomatic phrases with modal meanings • Be to (for orders, fixed events, desirable states, hypothetical future) • Be going to (firm predictions based on evidence at time of speaking) • Had better (desirable or advisable actions) • Have got to (obligations from outside) • Would rather (preferring one state to another)

  20. Other modal expressions with be • Be about to • Be able to • Be bound to • Be due to • Be likely to • Be meant to • Be obliged to • Be supposed to • be sure to

  21. More modal meanings • Nouns, adjectives and adverbs like • appearance, apparent, apparently • certainty, certain, certainly • Evidence, evident, evidently • Inevitability, inevitable, inevitably • Necessity, necessary, necessarily • Possibility, possible, possibly • Probability, probable, probably

  22. Some informal expressions • For certain • For definite • For sure

  23. Modality can tell us how a person feels about what they are telling us, their stance or attitude, whether they are assertive or tentative, how committed or how detached they are and other crucial aspects of interpersonal meaning. It is part of the tenor of discourse • It is more than just modal verbs

  24. Reporting and commenting • Editorial • Voice of the newspaper • Unsigned • Op-ed (opposite the editorial) • Comment article

  25. Functions of the editorial • Persuade • Create a consensus of opinion with the readers

  26. Editorial language • Emotive vocabulary • Modality – authority • Generic statements (show authority, the editorial claims total knowledge) • Argumentative – e.g. rhetorical questions, metaphors, hyperbole. • First person plural pronouns - we

  27. The right to assess or appraise • Stance, appraisal and assessment are all about relative positions • Who is in a position to appraise • Positions of authority

  28. Voice of the Mirror • Respect is due for our soldiers • The disgraceful protests against soldiers in the Royal Anglian Regiment returning home have no place in Britain. • Those men who were waving placards that attack our brave soldiers as "butchers" only shamed themselves. • Our soldiers have a right to respect and pride when they return from a tour of duty. • They have given their all for their country.

  29. The Sun says • Mob rule • OUR brave troops have enough to put up with as they risk life and limb in Afghanistan and Iraq. • To top it all, now they fly home to vicious abuse from Islamic fanatics. • The Royal Anglians had to face a chanting mob waving grotesque placards accusing THEM of terrorism and child murder. • Astonishingly, this despicable demo went ahead with police approval. • When it turned predictably ugly, who did our brave bobbies arrest? • Not the extremists who started the trouble, but a couple of locals who rallied to Our Boys’ defence.

  30. Voice of the Mirror • Blacklists ruin lives Blacklisting workers is wrong and must be stamped out completely. • The disclosure that some of Britain's biggest companies secretly banned individuals from jobs demands a strong Government response. • Men and women deprived of their livelihoods were unable to challenge allegations that were often inaccurate. • And a person's political views should never be a bar to employment in a democracy.

  31. International paedophile register is needed • The worrying case of the convicted paedophile found working as a children's nurse in an NHS hospital raises serious issues. • The need for a comprehensive, international register is clear so paedophiles aren't able to sneak undetected from country to country. • The safety of our kids must never be compromised

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