MSAs occurring in the clause-initial position (or before the subject）are especially interesting and can be approached cognitively from other aspects as well.Virtanen (2004: 79-97）shows that clause-initial adverbials enjoy significant information status.Clause-initial adverbials are signals of text strategy in that they normally convey crucial information, create common ground for persuading, and serve as “professionalized” strategy markers.For example, adverbials conveying beliefs, attitudes and the like (e.g.fortunately, correctly, obviously）can be argued to have been “professionalized” in their task of indicating affect.
In brief, the cognitive motivations for placing MSAs in the clause-initial positions are connected with their main functions of construing affect-oriented points of view for the subsequent texts, and in this way the readers or audience are emotionally or psychologically led as expected.
5.2.1.2 Backgrounding
Backgrounding is opposite to foregrounding in terms of clausal position to the effect that MSAs occur clause-final.
From the perspective of SFL, Fries (2002: 125-126）uses the term of N-Rheme for the last constituent of clause, where the discourse participants’ attention is drawn.Thus, the back- grounding of MSAs refers to the occurrences of MSAs (as N-Rheme）in the clause-final positions.Consider the following:
(177）…and many of them cannot be met by means of highly aggregated data alone.
(178）Member States exercising this option shall inform the Commission accordingly.
In Examples (177）and (178), alone co-occurs with cannot, and accordingly co-occurs with shall.The MSA alone strongly expresses the legislature’s assumption about the obligations carried by cannot; in comparison, the MSA accordingly indicates the source of the binding obligations conveyed by the high-value MV shall.
The backgrounded MSAs should not just be regarded as rhemes.Instead, these MSAs may help to conceal the authority or imposing attitude of the speaker when occurring clause-final.In other words, the positions of MSAs at the clause level in discourse are the products of the interactions between information exchanges and attitude interactions.
Cognitively, the clause-final MSAs may be supposed to give tagging to the modality expressed by MVs.There are two situations involved.First, the tagging is the attachment and endorsement of the speaker’s authority in many cases.Second, the tagging reflects the second thoughts or afterthoughts of the speakers.
5.2.1.3 Intra-clausal and inter-clausal positions
Intra-clausal modality supplementing is indicated by the grammatical patterns of word (or word group）+ word (or word group）and word (or word group）+ clause, whereas inter-clausal modality supplementing by the grammatical pattern of clause + clause.
Structurally, in the pattern of word (or word group）+ word (or word group), one is the core modal device, the other is supplementary.The supplementary modal device may appear before or after the core one.Semantically, the supplementary modal device has two functions: approximation and reinforcement.Approximation includes three situations: thematization, interpolation and tagging.Reinforcement concerns emphasis, intensification and focusing.
By means of thematization the supplementary modal device is put in the clause-initial position.In Halliday (1994: 53）the typical ordering of multiple themes is textual ^ interpersonal ^ experiential, i.e.textual theme + interpersonal theme + ideational theme.Therefore, if an MSA occurs in the clause-initial position, it serves the function of thematization - a means of fronting or topicalizing modal meanings.Consider the following:
(179）Certainly they would have placed their opposition to it upon record, if, in their understanding, any line dividing local from federal authority, or anything in the Constitution…
(180）Perhaps you will say the Supreme Court has decided the disputed Constitutional question in your favor.
In Examples (179）and (180), certainly co-occurs with would, while perhaps co-occurs with will.Both MVs and MSAs are words or relate to each other at the rank of word group, with the difference that the two components may be respectively labeled as MV group and adverb group which combine to form another MV group (MVG).Here, certainly and perhaps act as the themes or topics of the two clause complexes respectively; in both cases, the interpersonal themes that display modality occur prior to the ideational themes.In other words, the MSAs serve the function of interpersonal thematization or topicality.
By means of interpolation, the supplementary modal device is put in the clause-medial position, after the core modal device, and after the subject.Supplementary modal devices placed in this way can not act as themes according to SFL.Instead, they are regarded as part of the mood structure.For instance:
(181）And you can probably guess the reason why.
(182）As long as I occupy this office, you will never enact this plan.
In Examples (181）and (182), probably and never co-occur with can and will respectively.These are typical cases of modality supplementing at the rank of word (or word group).In these two examples, probably and never do not serve the function of thematization or topicality.However, they integrate with the MVs they modify to become parts of the mood structure.Their function is addition, elaboration or extension rather than comment.Such a function in the clause as exchange has not been much explored earlier.In the past, SFL linguists have paid attention to MVs functioning as finite, or MAs functioning as modal adjuncts, rather than MSAs, as far as the mood structure is concerned.
By means of tagging, the supplementary modal device is put in the clause-final position.Consider the following: