Recent change in modality in informal spoken British English:1990s – 2010s

Abstract

Studies in modality comprise a complex canon of functional, formal, sociological, and diachronic analyses of language. The current understanding of how English language speakers use modality is unclear; while some research argues that core modal auxiliaries are in decline, they are reported as increasing elsewhere. A lack of contemporary and representative spoken language data has rendered it difficult to reconcile such differing perspectives. To address this issue, this article presents a diachronic study of modality using the Spoken BNC2014 and the spoken component of the BNC1994. We investigate the frequency of core modal auxiliaries, semi-modals, and lexical modality-indicating devices (MIDs), as well as the modal functions of the core modal auxiliaries, in informal spoken British English, between the 1990s and 2010s. The results of the analysis are manifold. We find that core modal auxiliaries appear to be in decline, while semi-modals and lexical MIDs appear relatively stable. However, on a form-by-form basis, there is significant evidence of both increases and decreases in the use of individual expressions within each modal set. As a result, this study problematises form-based studies of change, and illustrates the value and coherence that functional analyses of modality can afford future work.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1360674321000265
Divisions: ?? 53981500Jl ??
College of Business and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences & Humanities
College of Business and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences & Humanities > Centre for Language Research at Aston (CLaRA)
College of Business and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences & Humanities > Centre for Health and Society
Additional Information: The final publication will be available via Cambridge Journals Online https://doi.org/10.1017/S1360674321000265
Uncontrolled Keywords: Core modal auxiliaries,Language change,Spoken British English,Spoken corpora,Spoken grammar,Language and Linguistics,Linguistics and Language
Publication ISSN: 1469-4379
Last Modified: 19 Mar 2024 08:27
Date Deposited: 19 May 2021 12:42
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: https://www.cam ... F000D2E639BC301 (Publisher URL)
http://www.scop ... tnerID=8YFLogxK (Scopus URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2021
Published Online Date: 2021-11-29
Accepted Date: 2021-05-17
Authors: Love, Robbie (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-7212-1165)
Curry, Niall

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