Introduction types of modality 9

Conclusions of Chapter I

We have identified five main types of modality, five senses in which the various categories of modality may be understood. Within each type, all the categories occur, but with other meanings than in the other types. The categories have similar interrelationships and properties within each type. These uniformities allow us to abstract them, but ultimately each type needs to be considered separately. The interactions between types must also be analyzed.

Quantity, or extensional modality, is the primary type of modality, and is the one which was thoroughly dealt with by Aristotle. Two more, temporal modality and natural modality, will presently be analyzed in detail; they interact intimately with quantity. The last two types, logical modality and ethical modality, are each sui generis, and require independent treatment.
It will be soon be evident that the temporal and natural modalities have characteristics in common with quantity. They represent different ways the subject and predicate might be related. They can be combined in certain ways with quantity, to form complex propositions. They are mutually related, in fact form a continuum, although they cannot be compounded together as they can be with quantity. They are subject to rules resembling those found for quantity, because they derive from the same geometric fundamentals.

CHAPTER II. PECULIARITIES OF THE USAGE OF MODAL VERBS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

2.1 The Meaning of the Modal Verbs in Translation

It has to be pointed that the modal verbs have numerous subtleties in what they express in different contexts. They have, on one hand, shifted semantically throughout the history of the English language. On the other hand, different speakers of the language differ somewhat in which modal verbs they prefer for what meanings.

According to the function, the meanings of the modal verbs are often differentiated into two classes: epistemic modality and denotic modality. The former reflects various judgments of factuality and expresses the possibility, probability or impossibility of a particular proposition. The latter communicates judgments of moral and legal obligation, responsibility and permission. Examples of denotic are shown in the following sentences:
Example 1: You should water the flowers in the back garden. (obligation)
Translation 1: Тебе следует полить цветы в саду за домом.
Example 2: You can water the flowers in the back garden. (permission)
Translation 2: Ты можешь полить цветы в саду за домом.
Example 3: You could water the flowers in the back garden. (permission)
Translation 3: Ты мог полить цветы в саду за домом.
Denotic modals, like epistemic modals, signal a speaker’s judgments but while with epistemic modals, the judgment is about the way the real world is, with denotic modality, it is about how people should act or behave in the world. That is to say, the use of denotic is tied in with all sorts of social knowledge: the speaker’s belief systems about morality and legality, and his or her estimations of power and authority.But it is possible to view both types of meaning as a single scale, with possibility (for instance, “can”) at one end and necessity (for instance, “must”) at the other, some semanticists argue that modality, both epistemic and denotic, allows speakers to compare the real world hypothetical situations and express different strengths of prediction of their match with the real world. Therefore in saying:
Example 4: It might be snowing in New York.
Translation 4: В Нью – Йорке должен был идти снег.
The speaker is setting up a hypothetical situation (snow in New York) and predicting a reasonable match withreality. And in saying:
Example 5: It must be snowing in New York.
Translation 5: Снег должно быть шел в Нью – Йорке.
The speaker is proposing a very strong match between his or her prediction and reality. Denotic modality is approached in the same way. If the speaker says:
Example 6: You should leave immediately.
Translation 6: Вам следует немедленно уехать.
He or she is proposing a match between an ideal moral or legal situation and the real world of behavior. And when the speaker says:
Example 7: You must leave immediately.
Translation 7: Ты должен немедленно уехать.
He or she is proposing a more strong match between the ideal situation and the real situation. Such an approach lays some emphasis on the sentence-level relation between modality and conditional, which is exemplified as follows:
Example 8: I would go to American if you agree.
Translation 8: Я вероятно поехал бы в Америку, если Вы согласитесь.
Example 9: I would refuse her if I were you.
Translation 9: Я вероятно бы отказался от нее на Вашем месте.
Example 10: She’s far too considerate, if I may say so.
Translation 10: Она слишком внимательна, если я могу сказать так.
Example 11: You can discuss the matter with him now, if necessary.
Translation 11: Вы можете обсудить вопрос с ним сейчас, в случае необходимости.
It is obviously that modal verbs represent the speaker’s attitude in sentence or in text, especially when we take on translating or interpreting job. Different types of modal verbs express different commands: Probability, usuality, obligation and inclination, and we pay more attention to the three value modulation: High, media and low, which also are so important that they can help us to predicate the meaning or attitude of the speakers or writers. This paper makes a comparative study of modal verbs in translation. It focuses on various meaning or characteristics of modal verbs in the light of sorting, analyzing and citing. Teaching and learning English Modal Verbs is one of the most complicated and difficult parts in language teaching. We should make a tentative study of the necessity of applying pragmatic analysis in translation teaching by the survey on the understanding and application of English modal verb among the English majors. [18]