• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.25
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• pp.649-678
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• 2011

The purpose of this work is to explain categorial correlations between indirect evidentiality and epistemic modality on the basis of semantic, pragmatic usages of Russian so-called non-specialized lexical markers of evidentiality, such as kazhetsja, naverno, vidimo, poxozhe, dolzhno byt' etc. To do this, firstly I concentrated on the parameter of internal functional variation of a given parenthetic word. Secondly, I approached this topic from a typological perspective. Thirdly, I accepted Sweeter(1990)'s methodological assumption that etymological prototype of a given word plays a great role in grammatical, semantic, pragmatic changes. As a result, I could postulate general tendencies of grammaticalizations (or semantic, pragmatic, funtional changes) in the direction from epistemic modality to indirect evidentialty, which consists of inferentives, presumptives, and quotatives. For example, such a parenthetic word as kazhetsja can functions not only as a marker of epistemic modality of uncertainty, but also as inferentives. Besides, it is very interesting that this word lately has started to function as quotatives, too. This kind of functional variations are very characteristic in these spheres.

• Korean Linguistics
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• v.77
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• pp.331-357
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• 2017

The purpose of this paper is to identify the workings of intonation realized in the endings through the spoken language. To achieve this objective, this paper has analyzed 300 minutes of spontaneous speech by women from Seoul and discussed the meanings of modality and their relationship with intonation. Intonation functions significantly in polysemous modal endings in epistemic and act modality. Epistemic modality is usually expressed through indirect and soft intonations such as L:, M: and LH, whereas act modality is expressed through direct and strong intonations such as H, HL and LHL. Intonation appears to be related to the Certainty degree of information, rather than classification of modality, Lengthening relate to indirectness, H with uncertainty, L with statements or affirmation, and HL and LHL relates to assertive attitude. This paper is significant as it has overcome the abstractness of existing modality studies and has engaged in objective and comprehensive analysis with actual spontaneous speech data.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.149-170
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• 2005

The purpose of this paper is to make a sentence systemic within the category of structural grammar for the modality in which a speaker expresses his attitude. It is the priority of a language to communicate meaning. By eliminating the theoretical description of traditional grammar, this paper also aims to illustrate the concepts of nine modal verbs through a systemic network. The concept of modality includes both the epistemic and the deontic characteristics of modality. Epistemic modality is associated with either knowledge or belief on the part of a speaker who gives his own judgments about the state of affairs, events, or actions. However, deontic modality is related to either the possibility or the necessity of acts that a speaker performs to give permission or fulfill an obligation. In conclusion, all the subsystems are described within the framework of the systemic network, with the intention of including all the potential options of the semantic functions available in a situation.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.197-216
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• 2012

This study examines spoken interlanguage of Korean learners of English, focusing on the distribution of modal verbs and devices of epistemic modality. (Semi-) spontaneous speech data were collected from four students participating in a self-organized study group for seven months, which produced a corpus of about 55,000 words. The data analysis reveals the following: 1) The frequency of the modal verbs produced by the learners was lower than that of native speakers; 1.99 vs. 2.32 tokens per 100 words. The range of the modal verbs used by the learners was also very limited, with over-reliance on can (43%). 2) The grammatical categories of the devices marking epistemic modality were in the order of adverbs, lexical verbs, and modal verbs, with a high frequency of a few items in each category. 3) Lexical items conveying certainty and modals of obligation were preferred over markers of weaker commitment, resulting in speech characterized by firmer assertions and a more authoritative tone, a potential cause for pragmatic failure. 4) A weak developmental change was observed in the frequency of modal verbs, but not in their functions over the seven month period of data collection. L1 influence, L2 proficiency, mode of communication, and instruction effects are discussed as possible variables involved in the distribution patterns observed.

• Language and Information
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.137-161
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• 2004

In this paper, I will look at two conditional connectives in Korean and point out differences between -(u)myen and -ta/la-myen in their distributions and semantics. One of the differences is that -ta/la-myen always allows epistemic interpretation, whereas -(u)myen allows epistemic interpretation only when the event time of the antecedent clause is in the past or present. A second difference is that only -(u)myen is used in purely temporal and habitual conditionals. A third difference is that the modality marker -keyss, which can have volitional or predictive interpretation with -(u)myen, cannot have predictive interpretation with -ta/la-myen. I propose that -ta/la-myen has the operator of settledness, which is defined with respect to the speech time, and explain the differences listed based on the semantics of settledness.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Language and Information Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.471-480
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• 2007

Japanese does not exhibit deontic-epistemic polysemy which is recognized among typologically different languages. Hence, in Japanese linguistics, it has been debated which of the two types of modality is more prototypical. This study brings Chinese learner's acquisition data of Japanese modality to bear on the question of which of the two types of modality is more prototypical, using the Competition Model (Bates and MacWhinney 1981). The Competition Model notion of 'cues' as processing strategy adopted by learners reveals the continuity/discontinuity between these two modality domains.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Language and Information Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.136-145
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• 2007

This paper explains how we define and represent modality in E-HowNet. Following Lyons (1977, reviewed in Hsieh 2003, among others), we hold that modals express a speaker's opinion or attitude toward a proposition and hence have a pragmatic dimension and recognize five kinds of modal categories, i.e. epistemic, deontic, ability, volition and expectation modality. We then present a representational formalism that contains the three most basic components of modal meaning: modal category, positive or negative and strength. Such a formula can define not only modal words but also words that contain modal meanings and cope with co-compositions of modals and the negation construction.

• Language and Information
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.1-22
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• 2005

In this paper I propose the semantics of two modality markers in Korean, keyss and (u)1 kes. I compare the two modality markers with respect to some properties. First, keyss is used to express logical necessity while (u)1 kes can be used to express a simple prediction as well. Second, keyss expresses some logical conclusion from the speaker's own information state without claiming it is true. On the other hand, (u)1 kes expresses the claim that the speaker's prediction will be true. Third, the prediction of keyss is non-monotonic: it can be reversed without being inconsistent. However, that of (u)1 kes cannot. Fourth, (u)1 kes can be used freely in epistemic conditionals, but keyss cannot. Finally, when keyss is used, the prediction cannot be repeated. The prediction from the use of (u)1 kes can be repeated. To account for these differences, I propose that keyss is used when the speaker makes a purely logical presumption based on his/her own information state, and that (u)1 kes is used to make a prediction which is asserted to be true. This proposal accounts for all the differences of the two modality markers.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.50
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• pp.313-346
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• 2018

It is noted that generally speaking, the expressing of actualization or non-actualization of events is not the main role of possibility for the utilization of expressions. In spite of this fact, it is possible to see many examples in which possibility expressions represent actual events, and impossibility expressions represent a type of non-actualization in relation to events. This effect can be described as a semantic extension, by which the participant-internal possibility is extended to actualization due to participant-internal factors, and the participant-external possibility is extended to the actualization due to participant-external factors. When the related possibility expressions are used in this extended sense, they express the dynamic evaluative meaning of 'desirability' of the realized event, while it is determined that when the impossibility expressions are used in this extended sense, they are seen to express the evaluative meaning of 'regretfulness' about the non-actualization of the event. In Modern Japanese, it is noted that there are a few expressions of ability and possibility. They can be largely divided into four types of expressions, according to their origins or uses of expression, which are 'ability verbs', affixes '-れる/られる(-reru/rareru)', '-できる(-dekiru)', and '-得る(-eru)'. They can all express participant-internal possibility and participant-external non-deontic possibility. While 'ability verbs', affixes '-れる/られる' and '-できる' can express participant-external deontic possibility, '-得る' cannot. However, '-得る' is the only possible element to designate the event of a epistemic possibility. Also, the four types of expressions have the usage of conveying 'actualization/non-actualization,' as is the case of the Korean language. However in Japanese, in fact adjectives cannot be associated with 'ability verbs' or 'ability affixes.' Thus the expressions of 'regrets' should in that case depend on the use contexts, unlike the expression 'adj+-지 못하다' as noted in Korean. The ability and possibility in Modern Chinese are mainly expressed by means of the four auxiliary verbs '能($n{\acute{e}}ng$)', '会(huì)', '可以(kěyǐ)' and '可能 ($k{\check{e}}n{\acute{e}}ng$)'. '能' and '会' along with '可以' can all convey participant-internal possibility. In this way '能' and '可以' can express participant-external possibility. Only '会' and '可能' can express epistemic possibility. As for 'actualization,' among the four auxiliary verbs, only '能' can represent actualization. Also, among the negatives of the four auxiliary verbs, only '沒能' can represent non-actualization.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.191-206
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• 2012

This study examines the use of the modals and quasi-modals of obligation and necessity, which involves the layering of must, should, have (got) to, got to, and need to in a corpus of cross-cultural communication between EFL learners. The study compares the EFL learners' corpus with a sub-corpus of ICE-GB in terms of token counts and semantic/functional distributions because International Corpus of Standard varieties of English serves as common reference points for international comparison of varieties of English. The results showed that must, should, and have to were the main players in both the corpus of EFL learners and that of native speakers. However, some discrepancy exists between EFL learners' corpus and the native speakers' corpus in the use of the modals and quasi-modals of obligation and necessity. Compared to the corpus of native speakers, the corpus of EFL learners was distinctively different in the relative unpopularity of have to and in the comparative popularity of must particularly for root meaning. Suggestions were made for using computer corpora in understanding EFL learners' language use. And pedagogical implications were made for teaching English modality considering the current usage of the modals and quasi-modals in Standard varieties of English and helping the students develop pragmatic competence.