Linguistic Analysis: Modalization and Communicative Context

Modalization Markers: Author's Presence in Text

Modalization refers to the author's presence in the text. This presence is conveyed through several markers, including the sentence structure itself, and can be supplemented by the following linguistic elements:

• Verbal Mode: Indicates objectivity (indicative), subjectivity (subjunctive, expressing desire, doubt, or fear), or mandate (imperative).
• Evaluative Lexical Items: Includes evaluative adjectives, evaluative nouns, and adverbs or adverbial phrases of valuation.
• Modal Verbs and Paraphrases:
  • Cognitive verbs (e.g., believe, think).
  • Verbs of feeling.
  • Volitional verbs (e.g., want, need, especially in the first person).
  • Modal paraphrases expressing obligation or probability.
• Affixes (Prefixes and Suffixes): Used to express affection or dislike. Only when they carry these connotations are they considered modalization markers.
• Figures of Speech: Such as irony, rhetorical questions, and metaphor.
• Punctuation Marks:
  • Quotation Marks: Used to indicate a special use of a word that expresses the issuer's attitude.
  • Parentheses: Used for inserting phrases or expressions that convey the issuer's attitude.
• Shift Register: Often observed in certain genres (e.g., news or opinion pieces) where the issuer's evidence regarding the subject is apparent.

The Communicative Situation and Text Influence

The circumstances surrounding the act of communication necessarily influence the text. Key components of the communicative situation are:

1. Domain of Use (Field of Use)

This refers to the different social fields where the communicative act develops. The issuer plays various roles, often conditioned by the intended receptor. The different types of domains of use include:

• Literature: (Poem, story, novel)
• Academic: (Essay, textbook, lecture, review, summary, article, paper)
• Advertising: (Posters, propaganda)
• Administrative: (Record, minutes, files)
• Media: (News, opinion, reportage, editorial)

2. Register or Language Variety

Register is the specific use a speaker makes of their language based on the circumstances of communication. The factors that determine register variation are:

• Topic: Whether the subject is general (accessible to any person) or specialized (restricted to certain receptors).
• Channel: Whether the communication is oral or written.
• Tone: Conditioned by the status, confidence, and specific situation of the sender and receiver.
• Purpose: As reflected in the language functions being employed.
• Frame or Field of Use: The overall context of the communication.