Understanding Modality in Textual Analysis

Modality in Textual Analysis

Understanding Modals

Modality reveals the sender's presence in a text. This presence is conveyed through various linguistic elements known as modals. Modals imbue texts with subjectivity, a characteristic often found in argumentative discourse.

Key Modal Elements

• Sentence Modality and Communicative Function
• Evaluative Lexicon
• Figures of Speech
• Punctuation
• Theming

1. Sentence Modality and Communicative Function

Sentence and communication patterns reflect the sender's attitude toward the statement and their intended effect on the recipient. These patterns include:

• Affirmative or Negative
• Question (?)
• Exclamation (!)
• Doubtful (e.g., Maybe)
• Desire (e.g., Hopefully)
• Imperative

2. Evaluative Lexicon

• Evaluative Adjectives: Adjectives with subjective connotations (e.g., specified and explanatory adjectives)
• Nouns: Often employ derivative morphemes (e.g., Angelic mine!)
• Adverbs and Adverbial Phrases: (e.g., possibly, no doubt, of course)
• Verbs: Verbs of thought, speech, and feeling (e.g., think, say, feel)

3. Rhetorical Figures

• Metaphor: Links two dissimilar terms (e.g., Her eyes are stars)
• Simile: Compares similar items (e.g., The city looks like a sea of lights)
• Irony: A twist or contrary statement of the obvious
• Hyperbole: Obvious exaggeration (e.g., I'll give the moon and stars)
• Reticence: Ellipsis (...) invites the recipient to complete the thought
• Asyndeton: Omission of conjunctions (creates a sense of speed and liveliness)
• Polysyndeton: Use of multiple conjunctions (e.g., and gets up and greets, and embraces him)
• Personification: Assigning human qualities to non-human entities (e.g., The TV smiles)

4. Punctuation

Punctuation can also convey the sender's subjectivity.

• Ellipsis (...): Suspends discourse, indicates pauses (doubt, fear, hesitation), suggests omitted words (profanity), leaves sentences incomplete for emphasis.
• Parentheses (): Insert additional information or clarification.
• Dash (--): Sets off clarifications or interruptions.
• Quotation Marks ("): Indicate direct speech or highlight specific words.

5. Theming

Theming encompasses the organization of information: topic introduction, progression, and integration of new information. It's the process of introducing and developing a subject.