the english verb phrase-modality.ppt

The English Verb Phrase:Tenses & ModalityLaura Filardo LlamasPROFESOR DE EDUCACIN SECUNDARIA OBLIGATORIA Y BACHILLERATO, FORMACIN PROFESIONAL Y ENSEANZAS DE IDIOMASMster oficialUniversidad de Valladolidcurso 2009-2010

Laura Filardo Llamas

18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The semantics of the VPThe VP expresses the speakers interpretation of realityReality

Speakers interpretationof factuality(TENSE)of temporal features(ASPECT)judgement of non-factuality(MODALITY)


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*What is modality?Its a type of evaluationIt is difficult to move

It may be difficult to moveFact; something that ISPossibility of a fact; Its possible that something isWhen we modalise, we indicate a kind of commitment to the reality of a proposition


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*What is modality? (2)Its a type of evaluation (2)We are in the opposition

We must be in the oppositionFact; something that ISObligation of a fact; We are required to be in the oppositionWhen we modalise, we indicate a kind of commitment to a proposal


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*What is modality? (3)Its the way in which the speaker positions himself/herself in relation to a proposition (statement) or a proposal (activity)


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*How do we express modality?

VERBS a) modal auxiliaries b) semi-modals c) semi-auxiliariesCan, could, will, would,Need to, dare to, Have to, be bound to, Modal adjunctsProbably, possibly, surelyModal adjectivesPossible, probableModal nounsThe possibility, likelihoodLexical verbsSuggest, propose, believe, think, guaranteeVague languageA bit, any, rather


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*How can we explain modality?The principle of rulesA modal verb

List of different uses


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*How can we explain modality? (2)The principle of general meaningA general meaning

List of different modal verbs which express it


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*How can we explain modality? (3)The principle of core modalityCore general meaning

(combination with other modifications?)

Use in context ???


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*Core modal meanings?Its the way in which the speaker positions himself/herself in relation to a proposition (statement) or a proposal (activity)Two types of evaluation:Degree of certainty [+ certain / - certain] (EPISTEMIC)Degree of obligation [+obligatory / - obligatory] (DEONTIC)


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*Are there degrees of certainty?How do we express them?I will go to the cinemaI might go to the cinemaI wont go to the cinemaTrue, certain predictionin between tentative possibilityuncertainty negative certain prediction


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*Are there degrees of obligation?How do we express them?ObligationNeedDesirePermission

MedianYou should go nowYoure advised to go now

GO!

HighYou must go nowYoure required to go now

LowYou can goYoure permitted to go

DONT GO!


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The certainty meanings of modal verbsWILLPrediction: something about which the speaker is certain, something which is expected to happen[phone rings] That will be SarahDont sit on that rock. It will fallHe will go to London tomorrowHe goes to London tomorrow

FactPrediction


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The certainty meanings of modal verbs (2)Will & modificationsNegation (wont): certainty of prediction + negation of fact She will not be asleep. She drank two coffees before going to bed

Remote: less certainty /past certaintyI was told I would feel better after I took the medicineThat would be Johnnys wife, I suppose

Certainty: she is not asleepPast certaintyTentative prediction; not sure


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The certainty meanings of modal verbs (3)MUSTInference: Something is necessarily true/certain (given the external evidence)The lights are on, so John must be in his office

If youve lived in Paris all those years, you must speak French very well

INFERENCEINFERENCE* Will speakPrediction


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The certainty meanings of modal verbs (4)Must & modifications:Negation: mustnt is not used with a certainty meaning CANT is the form for negative inferenceMust doesnt have a remote form SHOULD is the form for tentative inference


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The certainty meanings of modal verbs (5)ShallPredictions willStylistic variant: 1st person & formalI shall be 21 next month


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The certainty meanings of modal verbs (6)SHOULDTentative inferenceThe fish should be ready by now. It has already been in the oven for half an hour

The plane should land here in a few minutes

TENTATIVE INFERENCEWILL / WOULD Internal knowledgeMUST / SHOULD External knowledge


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The certainty meanings of modal verbs (7)Should & modificationsNegation: tentative inference about a negative factIve seen the mountain in photographs. It shouldnt be difficult to climb it.

Perhaps its true that it is not difficult to climb the mountain


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The certainty meanings of modal verbs (8)CAN & MAYPossibilityThe road can be blockedThe road may be blockedMeaning difference:Can: General possibility ( theoretical conditions)May: Specific possibility ( known facts)

Its possible that the road is blocked


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The certainty meanings of modal verbs (9)Friends can betray youYour friends may betray you

An electric shock can kill youAn electric shock may kill you

General observationSpecific observationI dont like those friends of you. I think (because of what I have seen about them) that there is a possibility that they betray youGeneral observationSpecific observationThe condition of this switch is so poor that there is a possibility that it gives you problems


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*May specific, it suggests a degree of actual probabilityCan more general (theoretical possibility)We can have a party, but we may notWe may have a party, but we cannotThe certainty meanings of modal verbs (10)*Theoretical possibilityNo specific possibilitySpecific possibilityNo theoretical possibilityImpossible relation


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The certainty meanings of modal verbs (11)Can & May with modifications:Negation: impossibilityFriends cannot betray you

Its not possible that friends betray you


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The certainty meanings of modal verbs (12)Can & May with modifications:Remote:Could: tentative possibilityMight: tentative possibilityDad might be home, but I cant tell youDad could be home, but I cant tell you

The picture could be a Picasso, but it is in fact a DaliTheoreticalTheoreticalPerhaps, its possible that he is homeFORMALMORE COMMONTHEORETICAL


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*Certainty modality & other modificationsModality & progressive?They must be working very hard [because they have an exam tomorrow]

INFERENCEModal progressive meaning Modal meaning + progressive meaning


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*Certainty modality & other modifications (2)Modality & perfect?He must have left his umbrella on the bus [he cant find it]

INFERENCEModal perfect meaning Modal meaning + perfect meaning Common association with past modality


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*Certainty modality: summary (main modal verbs)Must: Inference, high degree of certainty - externalWill: Prediction, high degree of certainty internalCan: Logical theoretical possibility, medium degree of certainty externalMay: Logical factual possibility, medium degree of certainty internalHigh certaintyNNLow certaintyN


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*Certainty modality: summary (main modal verbs) (ii)Should: Tentative inference, medium degree of certainty - externalWould: Tentative prediction, medium degree of certainty internalCould: Logical tentative theoretical possibility, low degree of certainty / politeness externalMight: Logical tentative factual possibility, low degree of certainty / politeness internalLow certaintyNNNN


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*Obligation modality How do we achieve it it?Possibility of an action being influenced (to do / not to do)Complex: 3 elements:Semantic roles:Decider (origin or source of influence)Performer (receiver of the influence)ActionYou must come at onceI shall give you thatYou shall give me thatI (speaker)YouCome at onceI (speaker)IGive thatPROMISEYou Give that I (sp.)ORDER


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*Obligation modality How do we achieve it it? (2)Complexity (3 elements):Syntactic processes (interrogation / negation)I will help youYou will help meWill you help me?I wont help youYou wont help me Volition Order, command Request Refusal ProhibitionWILL:willingnessDecider = performer (I) + willingness + affirmative structureDecider (I) performer (you) + willingness + affirmative structureDecider (You)= performer (You) + willingness + interrogative structureDecider = performer (I) + willingness + negative structureDecider (I) performer (you) + willingness + negative structure


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*Obligation modality How do we achieve it it? (3)Complexity (3 elements):Contextualisation

I shall kill him

You will be paid soon. Dont worry

You will pay for thisTHREATPROMISEContext where utteredPROMISETHREATNature of the event


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*Are there degrees of obligation?How do we express them?ObligationDesirePermission

MedianYou should go nowYoure advised to go now

GO!

HighYou must go nowYoure required to go now

LowYou can goYoure permitted to go

DONT GO!


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The obligation meanings of modal verbs: OBLIGATIONMUSTStrong obligationYou must apologize at once!

HAVE TOStrong obligationYoull have to sleep in the kitchen!Decider: I (Speaker)Perfomer: You (addressee) AuthorityDecider: You (addresee)?Perfomer: You (addresee) CIRCUMSTANCESobligationInternal obligationExternal obligation


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The obligation meanings of modal verbs (2)MUST & HAVE TO + modificationsNegationHAVE TO lack of obligationYou dont have to pay me now

MUST Prohibition (obligation not to act)You mustnt leave the room until the exam is over

External circumstancesInternal decision of speaker


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The obligation meanings of modal verbs (3): DESIRETwo types of desire:Internal desire VOLITION:shall, willExternal desire ADVICEshould


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The obligation meanings (4): DESIRE- VOLITIONSHALLStrong determination (from the speaker)I want the prize and I shall win it

Decider: I (speaker)Perfomer: I (speaker) Action: win it Obligation meaning: strong determination Threat?Promise?Context

notdont+ not


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The obligation meanings (5): DESIRE- VOLITIONWILLGeneral volition: be willing toDont move, I will open the door

Mr Smith will return next week from Hamburg

Decider: I (speaker)Perfomer: I (speaker) Decider: Mr SmithPerfomer: Mr Smith ??1st & 2ndperson3rd Personprediction


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The obligation meanings (6): DESIRE- VOLITIONWill & modificationsWOULD : Remote volitionThe manager said he would phone me

If you would lend me the money, I could pay my debtPast volitionvolitionAuthority of speaker:decider+distance politeness Request / command


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The obligation meanings (7): DESIRE- VOLITIONWill & modificationsNegation:Will not: lack of volitionI wont tell my parentsWould not: lack of remote volitionHe wouldnt come when I told him yesterday


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The obligation meanings (7): DESIRE- ADVICESHOULDAdvisability: remote obligation (polite, based on external circumstances)You should be in bed, its 3 a.m.!

With negation: negated actionYou shouldnt go out alone at this time of the night

Decider: the circumstancesPerfomer: You (addressee)


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*MAY & CANConsenting: low compulsionAsk for permissionMay I come and see you tomorrow?

Giving permissionYou may come tomorrow

Decider: You (addressee)The obligation meanings (8): DESIRE- PERMISSIONPerfomer: I (speaker) AuthorityDecider: I (speaker)Perfomer: You (addresse) VariationSyntacticstructure


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The obligation meanings (9): DESIRE- PERMISSIONMAY & CAN: differenceMay: authority of the speakerYou may smoke in here

Can: no authority of the speakerYou can smoke in here

Meaning: I allow you to smoke hereMeaning: It is permitted to smoke here (by me or by the rules)


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The obligation meanings (9): DESIRE- PERMISSIONMay & Can with modificationsNegation: no permission prohibitionCANT: general prohibitionYou cant smoke here [at a petrol station]

MAY NOT: Personal involvement in the prohibitionCan I go to the party? No, you may not


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*The obligation meanings (10): DESIRE- PERMISSIONMay & Can with modifications:Remote: Might & couldRemote permission: polite, indirectCould we eat the whole pie?

Idont like it, if I might give my opinion


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*Obligation modality: summaryMUST: strong internal obligation HAVE TO: strong external obligationSHALL /WILL: strong internal desireWOULD: remote internal desireSHOULD: remote external desire (advisability)CAN: external consenting (circumstances)MAY: internal consenting (authority)COULD / MIGHT: remote consenting (polite)

ObligationPermissionNNNN


18th-19th December 2009Laura Filardo Llamas*Concluding thoughtsWith modality we evaluate realityEvaluation can be understood depending on the effectAll modals can be explained in relation to their core evaluative meaning:Degree of certaintyDegree of obligationWe could establish & explore the degree of modals, and use that as a base for our explanations


*The area of compulsion can be divided into three different semantic fields: obligation, desire and permission. Obligation and permission are obviously conected, as is shown in one of the most widely accepted thesis of deontic logic: obligation implies permissibility: if an act is obligatory, it must be permitted; on the other hand, permission is related to the removal of obligation: you may leave is more or less equivalent to you dont have to stay. Desire (intention, willingness, advice) lies in between the other two. Wishing could be related to a softer idea of demanding.

As with knowledge modality, we can make use of an imaginary scale to study deontic modality. This scale can be divided into three different degrees (high, median and low compulsion), corresponding to the three areas already established.

High compulsion comprises the (semi)auxiliary modals with the general meaning of requirement, which will be studied under the head of o bligation. Verbs included here are must, have(got) to, is to and need.

Median compulsion comprises the (semi)auxiliary modals with the general idea of wishing, which will be studied under the heading of desire. Verbs. Shall, will, be going to, should, ought to, and had better.

Low compulsion comprises the auxiliary modals with the general idea of consenting, which will be studied under the heading of permission. Verbs.can, could, may and might.

END: From here we will move onto the study of modal verbs. The different types of meanigns that are associated to them are related tothe semantic roles, syntactic structure and contex within which they are embedded. *Second sentence (I shall give you that) decider and performer may coincide, and that determines the meaning of the sentence (a promise) (I am determined to influence myself to make effective my decision of giving you that)Second sentence: It could be paraphrased as I will influence you to make effective my decision of you giving me thatWe can see that depending on the semantic role of the elements in the sentence, the meaning of the modal verb is different, the first one is understood as a promise, the second one as an order. The modal verb is the same, but it is the role of the elements involved in the action which determines how it should be understood. This is why many different meanings have been associated to every modal verb. *Syntactic processes do not alter the meaning of the modal verb in epistemic modality (we have seen that there is no substantial difference in meaning when we add negation). That is not the case in deontic modality, where the roles (decider / performer) tend to change when there is a change in the syntactic construction of the sentence.

In all the examples: will is used with the idea of be willing to, but what changes is the distribution of roles and the syntactic process*Promise: said to a mother by his son in revenge for his fathers deathThreat: said by someone related to the victim

Nature of the event which the decider tries to influence.If what someone is determined to influence is for the benefit of the addresee, the action will be understood as an offer, a promise or even an invitation.If what someone tries to influence is something which has unpleasant consequences for the addresee, the action will be understood as a threat or prohibition. We can see that it is not the modal verb, tu the context which alters the general meaning of the sentence

*The area of compulsion can be divided into three different semantic fields: obligation, desire and permission. Obligation and permission are obviously conected, as is shown in one of the most widely accepted thesis of deontic logic: obligation implies permissibility: if an act is obligatory, it must be permitted; on the other hand, permission is related to the removal of obligation: you may leave is more or less equivalent to you dont have to stay. Desire (intention, willingness, advice) lies in between the other two. Wishing could be related to a softer idea of demanding.

As with knowledge modality, we can make use of an imaginary scale to study deontic modality. This scale can be divided into three different degrees (high, median and low compulsion), corresponding to the three areas already established.

High compulsion comprises the (semi)auxiliary modals with the general meaning of requirement, which will be studied under the head of o bligation. Verbs included here are must, have(got) to, is to and need.

Median compulsion comprises the (semi)auxiliary modals with the general idea of wishing, which will be studied under the heading of desire. Verbs. Shall, will, be going to, should, ought to, and had better.

Low compulsion comprises the auxiliary modals with the general idea of consenting, which will be studied under the heading of permission. Verbs.can, could, may and might.

END: From here we will move onto the study of modal verbs. The different types of meanigns that are associated to them are related tothe semantic roles, syntactic structure and contex within which they are embedded.

the english verb phrase-modality.ppt

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