Non-verbal markers of modality and evidentiality in MarENG
Keywords:
Maritime English, epistemic, deontic, evidential, attitudinal stanceAbstract
This article examines a variety of options for expressing speaker and writer stance in a subcorpus of MarENG, a maritime English learning tool sponsored by the EU (35,041 words). Non-verbal markers related to key areas of modal expression are presented; (1)epistemic adverbs and adverbial expressions, (2) epistemic adjectives, (3) deontic adjectives, (4) evidential adverbs, (5) evidential adjectives, (6) evidential interpersonal markers, and (7) single adverbials conveying the speaker’s attitudes, feelings or value judgments. The overall aim is to present an overview of how these non-verbal markers operate in this LSP genre. An examination of the data show that in expressing stance, MarENG speakers and writers use three primary means: epistemic adjectives are more frequent than epistemic adverbs, the deontic adjectives necessary and essential, and centralized assessment adjectives combining with intensifiers, mainly with a positive axiology. They are also keen on more subtle and less subjective evaluative devices like adjectives pertaining to time, novelty, importance such as new or recent. Future research includes the study of verbal modality markers in MarENG.
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