| Based on the structuralism and the theory of the semantic functional grammar and on the premise of the syntactic, semantic and pragmatic analysis, this dissertation tries to make a multi-angle description and analysis of the modal words which could be basically only used as the adverbials to modify the verbs by using the theories of cognitive linguistics and functional linguistics as reference and this dissertation strives to achieve the mutual verification from form to significance and vice versa.Firstly, this dissertation explores the modal words’ functional characteristics, the range and the semantic relation patterns. It has been illustrated that the modal words have the feature of modifying verbs as the adverbials, the feature of the bound collocation and the fixed position of the ordering distribution, the feature of adverbial character: [+description] [+mode][+modality], the feature of spatiality, temporality and gradableness in semantic almost coming to zero valuation. Judging from the word category, it can be proved that the modal words and the attributive words are on the same level and both belong to the content words which have the single function. Insisting on the standards of grammatical function, this dissertation makes a clear distinction of the relationship between modal words and nouns, verbs, adjectives, attributive words and adverbs, etc. by using the method of quantitative analysis and it presents a word list which includes altogether 703 modal words. The meaning presented by the type—“modal word+(de) +verb” tends to be the high-level semantic. This type——“modal word+(de) +verb” has three kinds of basic semantic relation: [+mode] [+ state] [+modality] which possess different sub ones in each category and the classification system of semantic features of the modal words is outlined preliminarily.Secondly, this dissertation makes a study on the formation and combined function of modal words in modern Chinese. Imbalance exists in the internal relation of modal words. Attributive-head relation and verb-object relation account for most proportion of the modal words and pre-object relation, auxiliary relation and parataxis relation are the following ones and predicate-complement relation and subject-predicate occupy the least. The verb structure of “modal word +VP” has the verb’s grammatical function and these two almost have the same function in the position of the predicate, the attribute and the object while the verb structure shows the difference between the verb in the position of the subject, the complement and the adverbial. On the other hand, being based on study about the whole function of the verb structure of “modal word +VP”, this dissertation further proves that syntactic behavior of the modal words in the sentence is inactive and the modal words have the features of attaching themselves to the predicate and having fixed position and they have a great difference from the typical adverbs. The collocation of the modal words and the verb syllables can help to form a grade sequence from the strong to the weak(“>” means having priority): the double syllable modal word > the three syllable modal word > the monosyllable modal word. The verb structure of “modal word+ VP” is distributed in the sentence category but the distribution of the sentence category is imbalanced and there exists great difference.Thirdly, this dissertation mainly studies the selection restriction and cognitive motivation of the modal words and situation types of verbs. Represented by two types of modal words——“zhu ge type” and “feng yong type”, this paper explores the selection restriction of situation types of verbs and draws the conclusion that in the first place, the situation types of verbs and verb limits are closely related to each other and if these two are combined, the time feature of the verbs can be explained and this is the research method which can be widely applied in the interpretation of grammatical phenomenon; in the second place, the combination of the modal words and the verbs not only is restricted to the rhythm of syllables, semantic harmony, individual features and so on but has certain relation with the host sentence, the situation types of the following verbs and the limit feature as well. In some cases, the situation types of verbs may influence the ability of co-existence with modal words and the ability of combination.Next, on the premise of the appraisal theory of systemic functional grammar and the related theories of event semantics, this dissertation studies and analyzes the evaluation function of modal words. On the basis of the perfection of interpersonal function, appraisal theory develops to be a new system of vocabulary and grammar which is an extension of interpersonal function in the systemic functional grammar and the core of the appraisal theory is the “attitude” system. Modal words, as the modifiers of the event, belong to “the layer the specific event”——the lowest layer of “FEO equation” in the event diagram Fact-event-Object. It negotiates the speaker’s/writer’s and the potential listener’s/reader’s attitude in the discourse and it possesses the evaluation function. The evaluation function of the modal words mainly embodies in “attitude” and “gradation” these two aspects. In terms of attitude evaluation, modal word has the affect attitude evaluation and judgment attitude evaluation. The affect attitude evaluation of modal words mainly embodies in the following four sides: first, the modal words have the feature of approving affect evaluation; second, the modal words have the feature of negating affect evaluation; third, the modal words have the feature of containing affect evaluation in the specific context; four, modal words have the feature of displaying affect evaluation through semantic prosody. Judgment attitude evaluation of modal words embodies in the following two sides: first, modal words have the feature of judgment evaluation for definiteness; second, modal words have the feature of judgment evaluation for probability. Modal words’ evaluating function in gradation reflects in part of the modal words which have the evaluating features of intensity, quantity, frequency, sequence, procedure, time and range. And these words illustrate the specific event from the event units, for instance, intensity, quantity, frequency, sequence, procedure, time and range. In this way, the form and the significance could be combined to help the learners strengthen the cognition of the essential features of the modal words.Finally, this dissertation adopts a method of typical samplings and makes a study on modal words of “ prep-object ” compounds, three syllable modal words, reiterative-syllable modal words and the phrase “one +measure word +noun”which serve as the lexicalization and the grammaticalization of the fixed modal words by taking the following types as the examples: “sui-X type”,“ chao-X type”, “concealment”, “reiterative-syllable type”——qiaoqiao, toutou, anan, and “yiliuyan type”. The origin and the formation process of the modal words will be further understood. The lexicalization and the grammaticalization are resulted from cognition, syntax, semantics and context. In this way, the recognition of evolution rules of modal words’ lexicalization and the grammaticalization can be strengthened.Innovative points of the dissertation display in the following parts: first, the innovation of topic selecting. It has been accepted that the modal words serve as the professional anterior words for the verbs and they share the same character of being the monofunctional and bound content words with the anterior words for the nouns(attributive words) and these two stay at the same level; second, by the macroscopic and microscopic study, this dissertation makes an all-around and systematic study about the modal words; third, by taking the appraisal theory of systemic functional grammar for reference, this dissertation makes a study and analysis about the evaluation in attitude and the evaluation in gradation and deepens the learners’ understanding about the modal words’ features from the perspective of context and semantics. |
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