Use of Modal Verbs as Stance Markers in Pakistani English Newspaper Editorials

Abstract

This study investigates the use of modal verbs as stance markers in Pakistani English newspaper editorials. For this purpose, corpora of 1000 editorials have been developed from the editorials published in The News, The Dawn, The Frontier and The Express Tribune (250 editorials from each newspaper) and analyzed using AntConc 3.4.4.0. Results reveal that prediction, possibility and necessity are the characteristic features of Pakistani English newspaper editorials and the writers of these editorials use modality to report, comment or inform about the state of affairs. Results also show that the main focus of Pakistani English newspapers' editorials is on depicting 'what will happen', 'what may happen' and 'what is needed to happen'. On the basis of these results, the study concludes that modality, being an important linguistic property, is used by the editorialists to maintain interaction with readers, establish authorial persona and present personal as well as institutional stance. To cipher readers' negative perception about stance, the editorialists make a skillful use of intermediate-value modals. Study suggests the editorial readers to be aware of the writer's stance marking. For, it may influence mind and manipulate opinions. . Study by Taavitsainen (2001) traces the use of modality or mood in medical register. Biber's (2004) research finds stance in a multi-register corpus, a view from history, and concludes that stance marking differs across registers i.e. strategies of stance, even with same functions, may be different from register to register. Similarly, their frequency can also decrease or increase. Butler (1990) and Hyland (1996) highlighted modality in scientific writing. In the same way, Holmes (1988) found modality in ESP and EAP textbooks.Any study about modal verbs requires, at first, a definition and a list of modal verbs, their semantic meanings, linguistic characteristics, relative frequencies and general functions in various settings. However, to cover a complete discussion of just the semantics of modal verbs is impossible in this study. Therefore, it gives just a review of

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The Analysis of Booster Expression in Complaining Speech Act

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