Scientific discourse from the aspect of interaction between the categories of modus and modality
https://doi.org/10.29235/2524-2369-2020-65-4-451-460
Abstract
The paper explores the correlation between the universal categories of modus and modality in scientific discourse. It is claimed that the two categories demonstrate different ontological nature and, consequently, should be treated separately. In this light the domain of modality needs to be reduced to the expression of truth value, while the functional potential of modus will include all the other ways in which the speaker assesses his/her utterance. Hence, it’s more expedient to characterize modality as a functional-semantic category, with modus assuming communicative-pragmatic dimensions. It has been revealed that in scientific discourse there is absolute domination of modus, which can be attributed to the unique nature of communication in this field. The category of modality, in its turn, has a limited application and is mostly restricted to combinations with different modi. Further investigation has found out that English and Belarusian scientific discourses share their major modus-modality characteristics but differ in terms of modi their authors prefer to modalize and concrete language means used for the purpose.
About the Author
N. V. Zinevich
Minsk State Linguistic University
Belarus
Belarus
Nadzeya V. Zinevich – Ph. D. (Philol.), Associate Professor
21 Zakharov Str., Minsk 220034, Belarus
References
1. Kobrina О. А. Categories of modus as ways of reflecting subjective attitude towards the utterance. Voprosy kognitivnoi lingvistiki [Issues of Cognitive Linguistics], 2006, no. 2 (7), pp. 90–100 (in Russian).
2. Zelenshchikov А. V. Proposition and modality. 2nd ed. Мoscow, URSS Publ., 2009. 213 p. (in Russian).
3. Krasnova Т. I. Subjectivity – modality (materials of an active grammar). St. Petersburg, Publishing House of the Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance, 2002. 189 p. (in Russian).
4. Paulouskaya N. Yu. The category of modality in modern Belarusian. Minsk, Minsk State Linguistic University, 2001. 205 p. (in Belarusian).
5. Lyapon М. V. Modality. Lingvisticheskii entsiklopedicheskii slovar’ [The linguistic encyclopedic dictionary]. Мoscow, 1990, pp. 303–304 (in Russian).
6. Vinogradov V. V. On the category of modality and modal words in the Russian language. Issledovaniya po russkoi grammatike: izbrannye trudy [Studies of the russian grammar: selected works]. Мoscow, 1975, pp. 53–87 (in Russian).
7. Admoni V. G. The study of the general theory of grammar. Мoscow, Nauka Publ., 1968. 294 p. (in Russian).
8. Kobozeva I. М. Linguistic semantics. Мoscow, URSS, Librokom Publ., 2009. 350 p. (in Russian).
9. Dem’iankov V. Z. The logical aspects of the semantic study of the sentence. Problemy lingvisticheskoi semantiki: referativnyi sbornik [The problems of linguistic semantics: abstract collection]. Мoscow, 1981, pp. 115–132 (in Russian).
10. Gerasimov V. I. The semantics of the sentence. Problemy lingvisticheskoi semantiki: referativnyi sbornik [The problems of linguistic semantics: abstract collection]. Мoscow, 1981, pp. 59–82 (in Russian).
11. . Bally Ch. Linguistique générale et linguistique française. 3nd ed. Berne, A. Francke, 1950. 440 p. (in French).
12. Ryabtseva N. К. Mental modus: from lexis to grammar. Logicheskii analiz yazyka. Mental’nye deistviya: sbornik nauchnykh statei [The logical analysis of the language. Mental acts: collection of scientific articles]. Мoscow, 1993, pp. 51–57 (in Russian).
13. Lebedeva Е. А. Modus indicators in an English analytical media text. Abstract of Ph.D. diss. Velikii Novgorod, 2013. 25 p. (in Russian).
14. Kurkovich N. А. The modal meanings of possibility and necessity in English and Belarusian: functional-semantic aspect. Ph.D. Thesis. Minsk, 2011. 181 p. (in Russian).
15. Arutyunova N. D. The language and world of a human. Мoscow, Yazyki russkoi kul’tury Publ., 1998. 896 p. (in Russian).
16. Kopytov О. N. Modus in the text domain. Khabarovsk, Publishing House of the Khabarovsk State Institute of Arts and Culture, 2012. 248 p. (in Russian).
17. Toumi N. A model for the investigation of reflexive metadiscourse in research articles. Language Studies Working Papers, 2009, vol. 1, pp. 64–73.
Review
Views: 591
Email this article 