Modality and

Modality
Manifestation
Group 7 – QH2020.D1
1. Trần Duy Thanh Huyền
2. Mai Thị Thanh Nga
3. Trần Thị Ý
4. Huỳnh Thị Thu Hằng
5. Trần Thị Phương Thảo - Leader
6. Phạm Thuý Ly
Contents

01 Definition of
Modality
02 Types of modality

03 Distinguish between
epistemic & deontic
03 Conclusions and
Implications
modality
01
Definition of
Modality
In semantics, modality refers to linguistic devices that indicate the

degree to which an observation is possible, probable, likely, certain,

permitted, or prohibited. Modality is concerned with the speaker's

assessment of, or attitude towards, the potentiality of a state of affairs. 

Modality is “a semantic phenomenon, expressing the

attitude and state of knowledge about a proposition”

Frawley and Charles (1992)
Modality, according to Palmer (1986), is defined as

semantic information associated with the speaker’s attitude

or opinion about what is said.

 02
Types of Modality
 Epistemic
Types of Modality
Modality Deontic
Modality
2.1 Epistemic Modality
• Epistemic Modality expresses possibility and
prediction. In other words, it discusses possibilities
compatible with somebody’s knowledge.
• Realisation in speech
a. Grammatically b. Non-grammatically

Modal Verb: may, might, Adverbials: perhaps, possibly

could… …
Particular grammatical moods through a certain intonational
on verbs pattern
Comparision with Vietnamese
a. Possibility
In English: S + may/might/ can/ could + VP
In VietNamese: S + có thể + VP/N/Adj

Meaning: to denote there is absence of an

external barrier to block the forceful
movement from premises to conclusion.
Example:
You may be wrong. Bạn có thể đã sai.

=> The epistemic modality here denotes that the reasoner is

somewhat hesitant.
Comparision with Vietnamese
b. Necessity
In English: S + must/have to/ need + VP
In VietNamese: S + cần/phải + VP

Meaning: to express strong necessity or commitment

To denote irresitible forces or compulsion in argument
and reasoning.
Example:

She must be an excellent Cô ấy chắc chắn phải là học

student. sinh giỏi.

=> The available evidence makes the speaker to conclude

that she is an excellent student.
Comparision with Vietnamese
c. Probability
In English: S + should (not)/ought (not) to +
VP
In VietNamese: S + nên/không nên + VP
Meaning: to express probability, non-committed
or weak necessity or weak assumption of the
truth.
Example:
You should have done Bạn nên đã phải làm bài về
homework. nhà.

=> The available set of premises influences the speaker to

conclude that you did not do homework and that is the wrong thing.
2.2 Deontic Modality

• Deontic Modality expresses possibilities which

are required given the laws or norms obeyed in
reality.
• Realisation in speech:
An example for a deontic mood is the imperative
("Come!").
Additional ways: modal verbs (Eg: I shall help you.)
Other verbs (Eg: I hope to come soon)
Adverbials (Eg: hopefully)
 Comparision with Vietnamese
a.  Obligation in English and Vietnamese

Form

In English: S + must/have to/need/had better/should/ought to + VP

In Vietnamese: S + nên/cần/phải + VP
 Meaning

Similarities: 

1. Both E modal verbs (should, ought to, need, have to, must) and Vietnamese modal verbs
(nên, cần, phải) are used to indicate deontic modality, which is usually subjective in that the
speaker/writer is the one who obliges. 

Nên/ should: low strength of force

2. Strength of force
Phải/ must/ have to: high strength of force

3. “cần” in Vietnamese and “need” in English are stronger than “nên” and “should”, but
weaker than “phải” and “must/have to”.
nên < cần < phải (Vietnamese)

Should < need < must/ have to (English)

 Differences: 
The strengths of forces

Vietnamese There are 3 levels of strength of - Weak obligation: Không

obligation/ force nên/ không cần
- Median obligation: Nên/
cần/ cần phải
- High obligation: Chỉ nên,
cần phải, phải
English The levels of force range from - Highest: must
the highest to median to low - Median: need
one - Low: ought to/ should
Differences: 
Collocation

In Vietnamese, modals nên,

cần, phải can go with another
modal verb to make different
shades of meaning.
Ex:
Cần + phải = cần phải:
Con cần phải hoàn thành BVN.
In English, neither of these
modals can co-occur
Ex:
Should never go with ought to or
need or must/ have to
b. Permission in English and Vietnamese

Form

In English: S +can/could/may/might + VP

In Vietnamese: S + có thể/không thể + VP

 Meaning

Similarities: 

The modality of permission usually implies an authority, or deontic

source – which may be a person, a set of rules, or something as

vague as a social norm – responsible for granting permission.
 Meaning
The strengths of forces
- In Vietnamese, the strength of force or the force interaction
between the speaker and the hearer expressed by có thể is
lower than that expressed by phải/ cần/nên.

Ex: Con có thể ra ngoài luôn. < Con phải ra ngoài luôn.

- In English, the strength of the force expressed by

can/could/may/might is often considered as being lower than
that expressed by must/have to/need or ought to/should

Ex: You can come in < You must come in.

Differences: 
Collocation
In Vietnamese, modal verb
có thể can go with another
modal verb to express
different shapes of senses In English, there is not such
Ex: có thể + phải = có thể collocation
phải; có thể + cần = có thể
cần; có thể + nên = có thể
nên, etc.
c. Ability in English and Vietnamese
Form
- In English: S + {can/may/could} VP
- In Vietnamese: S + có thể/không thể + VP

- In both English and Vietnamese, this ability is

inherent in the participants
- the subject of the clause is free (able)/strong
enough to perform the action
 Differences between English and
Vietnamese
• the frequency of modals verb in the two languages. (E.g.: can,
could, may)
• - in English, can is more common than may and could often
covers past ability of can
E.g.: He can run a mile in five minutes.
When he was young, he could run a mile in five minutes.
- in Vietnamese, có thể can be used in present, past and future
time
E.g.: Tôi nghĩ anh ta có thể chạy được 1 dặm trong 5 phút đấy
• the collocation of the two languages (E.g. có thể + sẽ = có thể sẽ)
E.g.: Họ có thể sẽ phải nghỉ việc tạm thời vì dịch Covid-19
d. Volition in English and Vietnamese
Form
In English: S + will/would/shall + VP
In Vietnamese: S + định/sẽ/muốn/toan/dám+ VP

- the doer (the subject of the clause) intends to

perform some typical purposeful action (which
remains potential).
 Differences between English and
Vietnamese
• the frequency of modals denoting volition. (E.g.: will,
shall, would)
• - in English, will and shall are used for volition or
strong obligation and would (the past form of will) can
be used for past volition
E.g.: I will/would do that for you (if you asked me)
- in Vietnamese, sẽ can normally be used for future
intention or willingness or volition
E.g.: Tôi sẽ xem Táo Quân vào tối Giao thừa
 Differences between English and
Vietnamese

• in English, will/shall/would in the case of not

expresses refusal by the subject of the clause, in
Vietnamese, sẽ in case of không (sẽ không) can express
a negative statement, or a refusal in everyday
conversation
E.g.: Tôi sẽ không bao giờ tha thứ cho anh ta vì đã lừa
dối tôi
 03
Distinguish between
Epistemic Modality and
Deontic Modality
Epistemic vs. Deontic Modality

01 Epistemic 02 Deontic
Modality
… indicates the degree of … Modality
marks the speaker’s attitude to
commitment by the speaker social factors of obligation,
to what he/ she says. responsibility and permission.
… signals a speaker’s judgments.

Ex: “It might be late for the Ex: “You mustn’t do it – it’s
cinema.” against the law.”

Nguyen Hoa (2004)

 Epistemic vs. Deontic Modality

It is interested in
Ex: You can drive this car. the truth, the belief
of knowledge.

It is possible for you to drive this car. EPISTEMIC

You have my permission to drive this car. DEONTIC

Deontic modality is interested in the action.

 necessity
Obligation
ability

reality
Deontic Permission

Responsibilit
Modality y

Possibility
Epistemic
Probability
 04
Conclusions and
implications
 4.1. For English language teaching

• Since the Cognitive linguistic views lexicon and grammar as a

continuum of symbolic units consisting of form-meaning mappings,
when teaching English in general, and modality in particular, one
should teach the form, meaning, use and pronunciation of any
linguistic expressions.

• When teaching English modality, one should take into consideration

the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese in
terms of epistemic and deontic modality.
 4.1. For English language teaching
• During teaching process, teachers should manage to avoid
translation work since it somehow can lead to intralingua errors and
otherwise it increases the mother tongue interference toward the
target language. 
• In teaching English to Vietnamese students (and vice versa) the
teaching of modal verbs should be done systematically and gradually
so that they may master the use of these verbal clauses, among the
other types of modality (epistemic or deontic).
 4.2. For English language learning

• Grammatically, learners should learn, initially, how to realize the

distinction of the use of English modal auxiliaries in different
verbal categories.
• Lexically, they should study and understand the specific cases of
modal auxiliaries (i.e. their different meanings).
• Learn modal verbs in context; Notice how they are being used.
References
Thanks for listening!