A Cognitive Analysis Of English Modals

As one of the most elusive and fundamental categories of human language and thought, modality has always been a tough topic for researchers. The study of modality may date back to Aristotle, who focused on modal logic. In the late twentieth century, the development of linguistics witnessed the growing interest of researchers in this topic at home and abroad. Linguists, such as Antinucci and Parisi (1971); Boyd and Thorn (1969); Joos (1968); Tirewocz (1968); Palmer (1974, 1979); Coates (1983); Lyons (1977); Perkins (1980, 1983); and Halliday (1999, 2000 etc.), from various angles, have done extensive researches into modality with their own methods, research foci and received different findings. Naturally, these studies have their strengths and limitations. Taking these limitations into consideration, this thesis is a cognitive analysis of English modals. The core of this study is the proposal of a Dynamic Evolutionary Model for English modals'analyses, which reveals the rational process of the use of English modality and integrates all the linguistic, social and cognitive elements involved in the process.The theoretical basis of the thesis is cognitive linguistics. Emerging in the eighties of the 20th century, cognitive linguistics is an approach to language formed in the objection against the mainstream generative approach (Langacker 1987). It is defined as an approach to language that is based on our experience of the world and the way we perceive and conceptualize it (Ungerer & Schimid, 2001). Now the researches of cognitive linguistics are very active. In the United States two researches which center on cognitive linguistics have formed two schools: one is San Diego School headed by Langacker, the other is Berkeley School headed by Lakoff, Fillmore and Kay, etc. Their theories chiefly include Langacker's Cognitive Grammar, Fauconnier's Mental Space Theory, Lakoff's Metaphor Theory and Cognitive Semantics, and Fillmore's Frame Theory. As a matter of fact, this thesis is based on Langacker's cognitive grammar. Cognitive grammar has distinctive foundations, organizing assumptions and methodological principles. The most fundamental assumption of it is to"conceive language as an integral facet of cognition, and grammar as being inherently meaningful"(Asher and Simpson, 1994:590). By conceiving language as an integral facet of cognition, cognitive grammar declines to consider grammar as an independent and autonomy system that separates from our cognition, psychology and everyday-life experiences. Instead, it claims that fundamental cognitive abilities and experientially derived cognitive models have direct and pervasive linguistics manifestations, and, conversely, that language structure furnishes important clues concerning basic mental phenomena (Langacker, 1993:1); among so many cognitive models, there is one with the name of Dynamic Evolutionary Model, which is applied in this thesis to analyze English modals. It has two components, one is the structured world model, and the other is elaborated epistemic model. With respect to this model, modals are not ambiguous, especially a basic characterization of future-time epistemic senses of the English modals, which confused so many scholars all the time, is quite straightforward. However, the system is limited to a certain extent. For example, where is CAN in the realm of Dynamic Evolutionary Model in sentence I can see the moon, Langacker does not give place in his model for CAN of this meaning. In my opinion CAN in the above sentence should belong to the realm of present reality in the model, but present reality doesn't only equal to CAN of this meaning, a small region should be marked out in the realm of present reality in dynamic evolutionary model.This thesis consists of five parts, with an introduction and a conclusion before and after the main body respectively. The point goes as follows: Firstly, it introduces the motivation and significance of the study as well as the rationale and organization of the thesis. Then it gives an account of the definition of modality, types of modality, the relationship between modality and the English modals, thus serving as a basis for later explanation of English modals, after that, it probes into the characteristics and meanings of English modals, survey the various approaches to the English modals, including monosemantic view, polysemantic view and fuzzy-set model, expound on their defects and pave the way for the new proposal put forward in this thesis. So it comes to the cognitive analysis of English modals, at first giving a general introduction to cognitive linguistics, and then surveying some famous cognitive linguists'proposal on English modals'analyses, introducing Tamly's Force Schemas and Sweetser's Metaphorical Extension, Langacker's Evolutionary"Momentum"and Dynamic Evolutionary Model; finally we apply the Dynamic Evolutionary Model to analyze English modals, and point out that there are some unsolved problems. In conclusion, the study is summarized, some limitations of it are given out and suggestions for further research are put forward.