Modality as a Verb Category

8/10/2019 Modality as a Verb Category

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modajlijaverb category


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WHAT HAVE WELEARNED SO FAR?


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SECONDARY AUXILIARIES

NO NON-FINITE FORMS (*I am canning swim.)NO INFLECTIONS (*She musts go.)FOLLOWED BY BARE INFINITIVE1 ST IN THE VP (*You have could said that. )

COMPLEMENTARY DISTRIBUTION (* He may mustspeak.)

NO IMPERATIVE MOOD (*Should!)


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modals are categorized under auxiliariesthe authors deal with each modal separately, by

giving theoretical instructions for the use of eachauxiliary (form, use, and other uses)the auxiliaries are grouped in this way:

Do, May, and Can;Must, Have To and Need;Ought, Dare, and Used

Looking at A Practical English Grammar for Foreign

Studentsby A.J.Thomson and A.V.Martinet

+ 13 : 5687 -

1960s


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Modal verbs are called modal auxiliaries, since they

only function as auxiliaries. They contribute to thesemantic area of MODALITY (volition, probability,obligation), but their semantic roles are broaderthan just that.

A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language

Quirk et al

+ 423 : 3456 -

1980s


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giving advice

making promises/threats

giving orders

Speech acts:

You should read up on modals, hon.

Well, you should keep an eye on that golden

grill of yours, we wouldn't want something to happen to you?

You can polish my shoes now, mortal.


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MORPHOLOGICALAND SYNTACTIC

CHARACTERISTICS


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NAKED MODALSthey can be only seen in the nude - bareinfinitive (ought and used)

You will be questioned. You ought to read this slide

info.

They might have fallen asleep reading this. VS. We

used to be so much smarter.


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NO FUNNY BUSINESSthey like to keep a clean slate - finitefunctions

*The students are needing to listen.*I am maying study today.


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XOXO MODAL GIRLthey don't like to gossip

*She musts be shocked reading this awfulsentence.


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INSANE TIMEabnormal time reference

We may/might not find a job as Englishmajors upon graduation.

Would you like to become a sailor then?


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MODALITYModality is concerned with the speaker'sattitude towards the factuality or actualisation of

the situation expressed by the rest of the clause.

The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language

2000s+ 8771 : 13 -


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CORE CONCEPTS INMODALITY


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8gyENXdqvo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8gyENXdqvohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8gyENXdqvohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8gyENXdqvohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8gyENXdqvo


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NECESSITY (strong modality)

He must take a day off.


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POSSIBILITY (weak modality)

He might have an anger management problem.


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SPEAKER SUBJECTIVE/OBJECTIVEATTITUDE

He may have overreacted.


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Basic modal verbs

CAN/COULDMAY/MIGHT

SHALL/SHOULD

WILL/WOULDMUST


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Lexical modals:Adjectives: necessary, possible, etc.Verbs: insist, permitAdverbs: certainly, surelyNouns: permission

Other linguistic expressions of modality


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KINDS OFMODALITY


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EPISTEMIC- episteme = knowledge (Gr.)

may, must, will, should, can

This will be the postman. = it is possible that thepostman at the door

They should be in Africa by now. = it is likely that theyhave arrived to Africa by now

You cant be that stupid. = it is not possible that youre

so stupid


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DEONTIC-deont = related to obligation (Gr.)-may, must, ought to, can, shall, should,

needSHECANKILLHERSELFNOW. = she is allowed/permitted to


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DYNAMICability, willingness, habit (Gr.)

can, will

She can help you to meet Brad Pitt. = is able to/knows how to; it is possible that she...

They will drink for hours doing nothing else. = it istheir habit to drink...


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SERBIANGRAMMAR BOOKS


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No separate section about modalityComplex verb structures:

Savremeni srpskohrvatski jezik, Stevanovid

1970s

Mogli ste da se javite. (da + prezent) / Mogli ste se javiti.

(infinitiv)Moram da doem. (da + prezent) / Moram doi. (infinitiv)


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Other Serbian modal verbs: TREBATI,VREDETI, SMETI, UMETI , HTETI,DATI, ZNATI, IMATI

To se ne da popraviti.

Ona zna da kasni.

Ima a objasni!


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A separate section about modalityModality denotes the properties that the

speaker assigns to his/her statementor to the situation denoted by that statement.

2000s

Sintaksa savremenog srpskog jezika , Piper et al


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Modal verbs : MOI, SMETI, HTETI,MORATI, TREBATI, ELETI

Other modal expressions: MOGUE,NUNO, ZABRANJENO, BITI U STANJU,BITI DUAN, BITI OBAVEZAN, itd.


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KINDS OFMODALITY


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DEONTIC TREBATI, SMETI,MORATI

To se mora zavriti.Oni su uni a naoknae tetu.On treba a se lei.

Oigleno je potrebno a se on lei.


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OPTATIVE indicates wishes and hopesiveli!Dobrooli!Ne bilo primenjeno!

Crkla dabogda!

Opet neto kuca, avoli ga kucali!Bog te video!

U zravlju a potroite!


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SUBJECTIVE MODALITY: EPISTEMIC-

MORATI, TREBATI, BITIBEZ SUMNJE, SVAKAKO, SIGURNO,VEROVATNO

Mora a ste poeli.Trebalo bi a su poeli.Ona je svakako ola.Ona je, moa, ola.Bide a je tako.


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CONCLUSION


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ENGLISH VS. SERBIAN

FINITENESS (Hotei da joj da kompliment, on ju jeuvredio, kukavac sinji.)

INFLECTIONS (Mi ne smeMO da dozvolimo da neprijateljpree Drinu! )

INFINITIVE AND DA + PRESENT (DAKANJE) (Put mezove, moram poi/moram da poem.)

FREE WORD ORDER (Ja raditi moram danas, inae ode

glava! )


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FREE VARIATION

(On mora da hoe da kupi to imanje im ga tolikoobilazi!)

NO IMPERATIVE MOOD

*Moraj!*Htej!

NO FINAL LIST OF SERBIAN MODALS

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ReferencesStevanovi, M. (1974), Savremeni srpskohrvatski jezik II,Beograd: Nauna knjiga.

Piper, P. Et al. (2005), Sintaksa savremenoga srpskog jezika,

prosta reenica, Beograd: Institut za srpski jezikSANU/Beogradska knjiga, Novi Sad: Matica Srpska.

Thomson, A.J. and Martinet, A.V. (1960), A.V, A Practical

English Grammar for Foreign Students,London : OxfordUniversity Press.

Randolph Quirk et al. (1985),A Comprehensive Grammarof the English Language, London and New York: Longman.

f


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ReferencesHuddleston, R. and Pullum, G. (2002), The CambridgeGrammar of the English Language, Cambridge:Cambridge University Press

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Modality as a Verb Category