Semi-modal verb “Need to” and the modality of obligation “Must & Have to” in authentic corpus-based English
Abstract
Recent studies indicate that the modality system of current English grammar depicts notable alteration in the frequency, distribution and semantic developments of modals and semi- modals. Research on some modal auxiliaries points toward a considerable decrease in the use of these modals (e.g. shall, must) while semantically similar phrases called semi-modals (e.g. have to, need to, be going to) show an upward trend in use. This research paper focuses on an investigation of the semi-modal verb “need to” in naturally occurring American English comparing to the root modal “must” and the semi-modal “have to”, which are mainly used for the expressions of strong obligation. As an exploratory corpus study, the purpose of the paper is to present conducted observations and make inferences from the authentic uses of the epistemic necessity and modality of obligation in the context of American English. All data are obtained from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) over the span of 1990-2017. The occurrence of “need to” compared to “must” and “have to” is examined through frequency and percentages, distribution by genre and year, most common verbs and personal pronouns used with modals, and modal combinations of “need to”. This corpus-based analysis has revealed various alternative constructions and an increase in the frequencies of the occurrences of “need to” in the corpus, providing support for earlier studies in the field. It is clearly seen that modality gradually gets free from central and root structures and heads toward modal expressions which are called semi-modals forming milder means of obligation expressions.
Keywords
Kaynakça
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Ayrıntılar
Birincil Dil
İngilizce
Konular
Dilbilim
Bölüm
Araştırma Makalesi
Yazarlar
Yeliz Kızılay
*
Türkiye
Yayımlanma Tarihi
21 Kasım 2019
Gönderilme Tarihi
5 Ekim 2019
Kabul Tarihi
20 Kasım 2019
Yayımlandığı Sayı
Yıl 2019
Cited By
Computerized corpus as a tool for educational technology and learning in the analysis of four-word recurrent expressions
Journal of Educational Technology and Online Learning
https://doi.org/10.31681/jetol.1186346