Introduction actuality of the research paper

The Notion of Modality

Modality - is a multifold phenomenon, and therefore in the linguistic literature we can find different thoughts concerning the essence of this phenomenon. Modality is a category of linguistic meaning having to do with the expression of possibility and necessity. There are different types of modality and the topicality of our term paper is caused by the necessity to improve knowledge about the term modality and its expression. The problem of modality as an object of interdisciplinary knowledge that is relevant to the modern science, has long been interested in the humanities scholars working in different fields research - logicians, linguists, psychologists, semioticians. A case of studying modality is complicated by multi-pronged approach to it, which leads to different interpretations. Linguistics borrowed the concept of modality from logic and philosophy which define it as the information related to the attitude of the statement to the reality, or its evaluative, temporal and other characteristics. Among the scholars who investigate modality we can mention Sh. Ballie - he was the first to define the category of modality in West-European linguistics. And in Russian linguistics the prominent role in researching the category of modality belongs to academician V.V. Vinogradov. He wrote a lot of books connected with this notion and means of its expression. A lot of works are based on his understanding of modality. Among the other scholars who also tried to describe the modality phenomenon are V.Z. Panfilov, G.A. Zolotova, L.S. Yermolaeva, G.V. Kolshanskiy and others. Numerous linguistic scholars have created various modality classifications, for example N. Petrov, F.R. Palmer, G.J. Lyons, A.B. Bondarenko. Category of modality is one of the most complex and contradictory interpreted in grammatical theory. Despite the presence of fairly long tradition of research modality and a huge amount of literature devoted to it, it is still in a sense blind spot of modern linguistics.³
The theme of the term paper is the expression of modality in English.
The subjects of research are modal words in modern English as the basic lexical means of expressing modality.
The relevance of the research is driven by the need to complete the theoretical consideration of the categories of modality, means of expression, organization of modal words, determination of their status.⁴
In linguistic science modal words and word-combinations are considered to be one of the most controversial at Lexico-grammatical level and attract the attention of scientists from the second half of the 20th century. However, the modal words have still not been fully explained due to their complexity, specificity of language expression and functional features.
Thus, lack of full scientific systematization of the categories of modality and means of expression in the English language, have determined the choice of theme for this term paper.
The purpose of the study is to identify the entity in the description and comprehensive analysis of modal words as a part of speech of the English language, as well as consider modal verbs as one means of implementation modality.
In accordance with the purpose the following aims were set :
1. to determine the nature, and main characteristics of the category of modality;
2. to describe the basic modal verbs;
3. to describe the modal words as means of expression;
4. to describe the modal words in terms of their lexical composition;
5. to identify the syntactic function of modal words;
When writing a term paper the following methods were used : comparative and descriptive statistics.
The theoretical and methodological basis of the research works were both Russian and foreign linguists on grammar, logic, syntax and general issues of the language.⁵
Practical significance of the work is the opportunity to consider the results of the study as a fragmentary part of comprehensive study of the functional-semantic category of modality and means of linguistic representations of its constituent components. It determines the scope of the practical application of the term paper, material which can be used in the course of studying contemporary English, special courses of study on modalities, as well as in drafting of best-selling bilingual and monolingual dictionaries.⁶
Linguistics has come a long and winding path in the study of modality, building on the achievements of the logic, semiotics and psychology. However, the modality has not yet received a full explanation because of its complexity, specificity of language expression and functional features. Researchers give various definitions of the categories of modality. Take a look at some of the concepts. In 1960, in the grammar of the Russian language have been formulated and are all linguistic facts relating to all phrases, introductory words plug-in designs, but the definition of modality has not yet been given.
The first definition of modality found in 1969 in the linguistic dictionary (O.S. Ahmanovoy), which examines the modality as the conceptual category with the value of the speaker's relationship to the content of the remarks and the relationship of language to reality (relationship reported to its actual implementation), through different lexical and grammatical means, such as the shape and inclination, modal verbs etc. Modality can be set to approve, order, requests, approve, reliabilities and so on. In a dictionary of linguistic terms (1969) is the Division of the modality mode:
- hypothetical(suppositional) modality, which involves the submission of statements alleged;
- verbal modality. modality expressed by the verb;
- unreal modality. the presentation of the contents of speech is impossible, impracticable;
- negative modality - the presentation of the contents of statements as non-reality.
Russian grammar of 1980 notes, first, that the modality is expressed through language levels, secondly, states that an objective category of modality refers to the category of predicatively , thirdly, is the phenomena related to the phenomena of modality:
1. The value of reality- unreality : the reality is by indicative (present, past, future); unreality-the surreal inclinations (subjunctive, conditional, desirable, a socializing);
2. subjectively-modal value is the ratio of the speaker to the reported;
3. The modalities of speech (verbs, adjectives, predicative), lexical values that express ability, desire, imperativness;⁷
English Dictionary of foreign words (1996) gives the following definition: modality-(FR. Modalite, LAT. Modus inclination) is a modality of judgment-the difference between logical judgement depending on the nature of the exercise-from that, whether they are necessary or probable relationship between the logical subject and predicate. On modality distinguish judgments : apodiktichesky, assertorichesky and problematichesky .Turning to the definition given in Dmitry Ushakov dictionary (1996) : modality - conceptual category with the value of the speaker's relationship to the content of the remarks and the relationship of language to reality (the ratio of reported to its actual implementation), expressed by different grammatical and lexical means, such as forms of inclination, modal verbs, intonation, etc. Linguist Vladimir Vinogradov, in his "Russian language" gave a broader definition of modality. It follows that the modality is not only a characteristic of reality and unreality, but the speaker's relationship to the suggestion. From the definition we see that there are two types of modality: objective and subjective, but in the text it's difficult to identify a clear border between them. Many researchers believe that modality is subjective.⁸