A Study Of English Modal Verbs In The Novel Hills Like White Elephants From The Perspective Of Force Dynamics

English modal verbs is the most common form of modality and they can not be analyzed without the exact context.In the English language system,modal verbs play the role of typical quasi-representation such as stating uncertainty,responsibility,obligation,possibility or necessity in communication.How to interpret and understand the semantic meaning and related representational function of English modal verbs reflected in verbal communication is the central question to be discussed in this study.Force dynamics is a semantic category which is used to describe the interaction of forces.It is a basic concept formed according to the principles of mechanics to construct the conceptual structure of language.In the concept of dynamic interaction of forces,modal verbs belong to typical category members.So the theory has a strong explanatory power for modal verbs.In the novel Hills Like White Elephants,modal verbs are used with a frequency of 3.57%.Therefore,studying the modal verbs in this novel from the perspective of force dynamic theory can help us explain and understand the semantic meaning and the related representational function of English modal verbs in verbal communication.This paper,taking the Hills like White Elephants as studying object,based on force dynamic theory,attempts to discuss the semantics of modal verbs in the novel and analyze the representatives schema on the three levels of physical force;psychological force and social force in the language communication.This thesis is comprised of six parts in which structure is as followed:Chapter One is the introduction,which presents the research question,research background,the organization and significance of the thesis briefly.Chapter Two is the literature review,in this section,from different schools of linguistics and different perspectives,the limitations and achievements of domestic and foreign studies on modality and force dynamics as well as their enlightenment for this study are summarized.Chapter Three is the theoretical background,which firstly introduces the Talmy’s force dynamics(i.e.physical force,psychological force,social force).It also concentrates on the meanings and classifications of modality together with meanings and characteristics of English modal verbs.Chapter Four is the presentation of modal verbs in Hills like White Elephants.Firstly,the distribution of modal verbs in the novel is briefly introduced.Secondly,it is classified according to some fixed standards.The fifth chapter plays the role as the main part.It analyzes the modal verbs in the novel from three aspects:physical force,psychological force and social force.It not only attempts to analyze the meaning generation process of English modal verbs from the perspective of force dynamics,but also tries to figure out the relationship of the three patterns in the novel.In the discourse,the main way to realize the physical force dynamics of English modal verbs is through the scale of the force,the modal source and the modal agent.The accomplishment of psychological force is mainly through body-mind separation and agent-patient opposition.Besides,the social dynamic force is realized by the contend between the power role and the social status of the speakers.Finally,the thesis discusses the interaction among physical force,psychological force and social force.Chapter six is the part of conclusion,which summarizes the content of this paper,and puts forward the major findings,limitations and suggestions for further study.Through the analysis,the author found that the dynamic force interaction of modal verbs in the English literary work do exist,and there is a correlation between the physical pattern,the psychological pattern and the social pattern as well.The physical pattern is the basic one,and the psychological pattern as well as the social pattern is the metaphorical extension.As far as the novel Hills Like White Elephants is concerned,the physical dynamic pattern of modal verbs tends to convey the basic information the speaker wants to express to the other side,the psychological pattern tends to change the other side’s viewpoint,and the social pattern not only manifests the status of two sides but also directly or indirectly expresses the social responsibility the speaker wants the other side to assume.