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8 - Modality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 November 2019

Istvan Kecskes
Istvan Kecskes
Affiliation:
State University of New York, Albany
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Summary

The chapter argues that ELF users do not create new modal expressions; they rely on the rich repertoire that the English language offers to them. But those English modal expressions do not necessarily reflect the mindset of ELF users with different L1s. Rather they reflect the mindset of native speakers of English. So an attempt is made to explain the interplay of these two factors in the use of modal expressions by ELF interlocutors. It is argued that modal use in ELF is motivated by three important factors: language learning experience, effect of L1 and immediate communicative needs.

Keywords

modalitypossibilityprobabilitynecessityabilitypermissionepistemic modalityroot modalitydeontic modalitycross-cultural approach
Type
Chapter
Information
English as a Lingua Franca
The Pragmatic Perspective
 , pp. 184 - 205
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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  • Modality
  • Istvan Kecskes, State University of New York, Albany
  • Book: English as a Lingua Franca
  • Online publication: 18 November 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316217832.009
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  • Modality
  • Istvan Kecskes, State University of New York, Albany
  • Book: English as a Lingua Franca
  • Online publication: 18 November 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316217832.009
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Modality
  • Istvan Kecskes, State University of New York, Albany
  • Book: English as a Lingua Franca
  • Online publication: 18 November 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316217832.009
Available formats
×