Generally speaking, multiple-leveled modality shows the interpersonal meaning of stance that MSAs can convey in modality supplementing.Such MSAs help the addressers concerned to construe stance in a pluralistic way.In this way, the effects of contextual factors on the distributions of MSAs are demonstrated.
6.4 Distributions of long-distance MSAs
It is found that the percentages of long-distance modality supplementing through MSAs in the corpora vary from genre to genre: 29.13% (JI）> 23.32% (AW）> 11.95% (LR）> 6.48% (PS).Figure 6.1 describes the findings.
Figure 6.1 Percentages of long-distance MSAs in four genres
According to Zhang (1998), discourse tenor consists of two parts, namely, social tenor and interactional tenor, and both types of tenor have impacts on interpersonal meanings.Social tenor refers to social roles, whose significance is largely embodied by the appraisal system.Interactional tenor indicates the role relationships determined by contexts, represented by goods-&-services (including commands and proposals).
It is assumed that both parts of discourse tenor are related to the deployment of modality, and to some extent the dynamic nature of interactional tenor enables the flexible use of modality.Long-distance modality supplementing through MSAs across clauses is the product of such contextual interactions, for example, between interviewers and interviewees in seeking and offering information.
The distributions of long-distance MSAs reflect the stance of dialogue.Specifically, the findings are significant in the following ways:
A.JI (29.13% long-distance MSAs）is an area where interactional tenor functions more than social tenor, and hence interviewees, regardless of social status, can express their views quite subjectively.Also, the casual nature of the mode of journalistic interviews enables the existence of before-thought and after-thought; accordingly, MSAs can occur in the clauses either prior to or after the ones where central MVs occur.
B.The examination of AW (23.32% long-distance MSAs）reveals that long-distance MSAs are used to supplement the writer act conveyed by MVs + reporting verbs.In this sense, it could be argued that AW possesses multiple voices and is quite dialogic as well (cf.Thompson 1996), though not as dialogic as journalistic interviews (JI).
C.PS (6.48% long-distance MSAs）is a genre between conversations and formal speeches (e.g.sermons).In this sense, PS is not as dialogic as JI and AW.As a result, long-distance MSAs are not as commonly used.
D.LR (11.95% long-distance MSAs）has more long-distance MSAs than PS.Here the dialogic view does not work.It is considered that MVs express modulation in this genre, and hence MSAs function similarly.Gotti (2003: 36）mentions that referential precision is a main feature of legal language.It is the use of modulation MSAs as a means of referential precision that contributes to the bigger percentage of long-distance MSAs in LR than in PS.
In short, the more dialogic a genre is, the more long-distance MSAs it has.LR is an exception in that the long-distance MSAs are used to achieve exactness or precision in expressing the deontic modality involved.
Consider the following:
(251）I think probably most of the jokes will go over the heads of most of them, yes, but hopefully the fact that it is a humorous text, and I’m making a lot of jokes that don’t require knowledge of comic history - hopefully people are going to get it on that level, if they can’t get that level of clever-clever, comic-based jokes.I’m always quite conscientious, or at least I try to be, of making my work as accessible as I can.I kind of think that’s part of my job, that even when I’m putting in references to things that only me and five other people are going to get, there should at least be another joke in that panel that everybody’s going to get.
(252）Where there is a major divergence between the two sets of accounts, and in particular, when the final draft figures for the most recent years are available, the Commission may decide to take those draft figures into account.
Example (251）is from JI.The long-distance MSA hopefully is used twice to supplement the modulation conveyed by the negated MV can’t.Hopefully is related to confidence, emphasizing the high-valued inclination of can’t.Another two MSAs always and at least supplement the low-valued modulation conveyed by the MV can (low-valued).Always is related to probability (high-valued), and at least clarification.These two MSAs compromise or lift up the value of can.There are two short-distance MSAs in this example: probably and at least.These two MSAs help to maintain the median value of will and should respectively.Therefore, generally speaking, the modality supplementing patterns in Example (251）present a positive and optimistic picture of the interviewee.
Example (252）is from LR.The long-distance MSA in particular supplements the modulation conveyed by the MV may.In particular is related to clarification, making the obligation denoted by the MV may objective and clearly-cut.
It can be seen that long-distance MSAs play a vital role in such genres as JI and PS.These MSAs display the role of inter-clausal modality supplementing, and together with short-distance MSAs (occurring intra-clausal）they contribute to construing an overall picture of the stance of dialogue in the contexts concerned.
6.5 Overt inter-participant MSAs
Chapter 5 points out that overt inter-participant modality supplementing through MSAs is common in the genre of JI.It is found that inter-participant MSAs normally occur on the part of the interviewees rather than the interviewers.Table 6.4 shows the corpora findings.
Table 6.4 is significant in three aspects.