4. Modal words as a part of speech in English and Ukrainian languages
The class of words called "modal words" or "modals" includes the unchangeable words which reveal the attitude of the speaker towards the idea he/she is expressing. These words usually perform the function of parenthetic part of the sentence (вставний член речения). According to their meaning they express assumption, suggestion or subjective evaluation of the utterance content as desirable or non-desirable, e.g.: certainly, of course - звичайно; no doubt - безперечно; surely - безсумшвно; perhaps, maybe - можливо; probably -напевно; happily - на щастя; unhappily - на нещастя and others.
As a part of speech English and Ukrainian modals are characterized by the following features:
Their lexico-grammatical meaning of "modality".
Their negative combinability.
3. Their syntactic functions of parenthetical elements and
sentence-words.
"Modality" as a linguistic term denotes the relation of the contents of speech to reality as viewed by the speaker. When describing the meaning of "modality" in reference to the small group of modal verbs we are in fact dealing with "lexical modality". Modality of the indicative, conditional and imperative moods is "grammatical modality". Now we are dealing with the meaning of "modality" uniting a part of speech. This is a "lexico-grammatical modality".
Modal words indicate whether the speaker is sure that the contents of his\her utterance corresponds to reality, or he\she doubts it, or he\she regards it as something possible, probable, desirable, etc. Accordingly, modal words can be divided into several groups. Thus, English modal words include words denoting:
various shades of certainty: certainly, surely, of course, no doubt, undoubtedly, indeed, etc.;
various degrees of probability: maybe, perhaps, possibly, probably, etc.;
different shades of desirability (undesirability): happily, luckily, fortunately, unhappily, etc.
Functioning as a parenthetical element of a sentence, a modal word is usually connected with the sentence as a whole, e.g.;
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