An annotation scheme for dynamic modality in English and Spanish
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/lhs.v6i1-3.297Keywords:
discourse analysis, linguistics, dynamic modality, annotation experimentsAbstract
This paper describes the results of a series of annotation experiments that focused on a number of prototypical expressions of dynamic modality in English and Spanish. This kind of modality may be defined as possibility and necessity due to natural factors (Perkins, 1983) and comprises meanings such as inevitability, tendency, ability and circumstantial possibility. The work reported is part of a larger project – CONTRANOT – aimed at the creation and validation of contrastive functional descriptions through corpus analysis and annotation, and at the production of a bilingual English-Spanish corpus annotated with different layers of discourse and grammatical features (see Arús et al., this volume; Lavid, 2008; Lavid et al., 2007, 2010a, 2010b, 2010c). The results display striking similarities between inter-annotator agreement in the two languages, in terms of both the global percentages of agreement and the percentages of the individual expressions and their respective correlates in the other language. The main problem for inter-annotator agreement was the distinction between dynamic modality and the other two modalities (epistemic and deontic).
References
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Sweetser, E. (1990) From Etymology to Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Talmy, L. (1988) Force dynamics in language and cognition. Cognitive Science 12 (1): 49–100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1201_2
Talmy, L. (2000) Toward a Cognitive Semantics. Volume I: Concept Structuring Systems. Cambridge, MA: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press.
Tsangalidis, A. and Facchinetti, R. (eds) (2009) Studies on English Modality. In Honour of Frank Palmer, 229–258. Bern: Peter Lang.
Wärnsby, A. (2006) (De)coding Modality. The Case of Must, May, Måste and Kan. Lund Studies in English 113. Lund: Lund University.
Wertheimer, R. (1972) The Significance of Sense: Meaning, Modality and Morality. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Westney, P. (1995) Modals and Periphrastics in English. Tübingen: Niemeyer.
Zamorano-Mansilla, J.R. and Carretero, M. (2009) The expression of deduction referring to past time within the verbal group: An English-Spanish contrastive analysis. In A. Tsangalidis and R. Facchinetti, Studies on English Modality. In Honour of Frank Palmer, 229–258. Bern: Peter Lang.
Bybee , J. and Fleischman, S. (eds) (1995) Modality in Grammar and Discourse. Amsterdam/Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.
Carretero, M. (1992) The role of epistemic modality in English politeness strategies. Miscelánea 13: 17–35.
Carretero, M. (1995) La pragmática de las expresiones de modalidad epistémica en el inglés hablado. PhD Thesis downloadable at http://eprints.ucm.es/3368/
Carretero, M., Zamorano, J. R., Nieto, F., Alonso, C., Arús, J. and Villamil, A. (2007) An approach to modality for higher education studies of English. In M. Genís, E. Orduna, and D. García-Ramos (eds) Panorama de las lenguas en la enseñanza superior. ACLES 2005. CD-ROM. 91–101. Madrid: Universidad Antonio de Nebrija.
Coates, J. (1983) The Semantics of the Modal Auxiliaries. London: Croom Helm.
Cohen, J. (1960) A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educational and Psychological Measurement 20 (1): 37–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001316446002000104
Collins, P. (2009) Modals and Quasi-modals in English. Amsterdam: Rodopi.
Facchinetti, R., Krug, M. and Palmer, F. (eds) (2003) Modality in Contemporary English. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Facchinetti, R.. and Palmer, F. (eds) (2004) English Modality in Perspective: Genre Analysis and Contrastive Studies. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
Givón, T. (2001) Syntax: An Introduction. Vol. 1. Amsterdam/Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.
Halliday, M. A. K. and Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2004) An Introduction to Functional Grammar. Third edition. London: Edward Arnold.
Hermerén, L. (1978) On Modality in English: The Study of the Semantics of the Modals. Lund: Gleerup.
Jespersen, O. (1924) The Philosophy of Grammar. London: Allen and Unwin.
Kärkkäinen, E. (2004) Epistemic Stance in English Conversation. Amsterdam/Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.
Klinge, A. and Müller, H. H. (eds) (2005) Modality: Studies in Form and Function. London: Equinox.
Lavid, J. (2008) CONTRASTES: An online English-Spanish textual database for contrastive and translation learning. In B. Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk (ed.) Corpus Linguistics, Computer Tools, and Applications – State of the Art. Frankfurt: Peter Lang Verlag.
Lavid, J., Arús, J. and J.R. Zamorano (2007) Working with a bilingual English-Spanish textual database using SFL. Paper presented at the 34th International Systemic-Functional Congress. Odense (Denmark), July 2007.
Lavid, J., Arús, J. and Moratón, L. (2010a) Investigating thematic meaning in English and Spanish: A methodological proposal. Paper presented at the Euro International Systemic-Functional Conference.
Koper (Eslovenia), July 2010. Lavid, J., Arús, J., and Moratón, L. (2010b) Towards an annotated English-Spanish corpus with SFL textual features. Paper presented at the International Systemic-Functional Congress. Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada), July 2010.
Lavid, J., Arús, J. and Moratón, L. (2010c) Corpus annotation within the CONTRANOT project. Paper presented at the Interdisciplinary Conference of AHLisT (Association of History, Literature, Science and Technology), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 23–25 June.
Marín-Arrese, J. (ed.) (2004) Perspectives on Evidentiality and Modality. Madrid: Editorial Complutense.
Miller, G. A. (1978) Semantic relations among words. In M. Halle, J. Bresnan and G. A. Miller (eds) Linguistic Theory and Psychological Reality, 60–118.Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Nuyts, J. (2001) Epistemic Modality, Language and Conceptualization: A Cognitive-Pragmatic Perspective. Amsterdam/Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.
Nuyts, J. (2005) The modal confusion: On terminology and the concepts behind it. In A. Klinge and H. H. Müller (eds) Modality: Studies in Form and Function, 5–38. London: Equinox.
Palmer, F. R. (1990 [1979]). Modality and the English Modals. London and New York: Longman.
Perkins, M. R. (1983) Modal Expressions in English. London: Frances Pinter.
Rescher, N. (1968) Topics in Philosophical Logic. Dordrecht: Reidel.
Silva-Corvalán, C. (1995) Contextual conditions for the interpretation of ‘poder’ and ‘deber’ in Spanish. In J. Bybee and S. Fleischman (eds) Modality in Grammar and Discourse, 67–105. Amsterdam/Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.
Simon-Vandenbergen, A-M. and Aijmer, K. (2007) The Semantic Field of Modal Certainty. A Corpus-Based Study of English Adverbs. Berlin and New York:Mouton de Gruyter. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9783110198928
Sweetser, E. (1990) From Etymology to Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Talmy, L. (1988) Force dynamics in language and cognition. Cognitive Science 12 (1): 49–100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1201_2
Talmy, L. (2000) Toward a Cognitive Semantics. Volume I: Concept Structuring Systems. Cambridge, MA: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press.
Tsangalidis, A. and Facchinetti, R. (eds) (2009) Studies on English Modality. In Honour of Frank Palmer, 229–258. Bern: Peter Lang.
Wärnsby, A. (2006) (De)coding Modality. The Case of Must, May, Måste and Kan. Lund Studies in English 113. Lund: Lund University.
Wertheimer, R. (1972) The Significance of Sense: Meaning, Modality and Morality. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Westney, P. (1995) Modals and Periphrastics in English. Tübingen: Niemeyer.
Zamorano-Mansilla, J.R. and Carretero, M. (2009) The expression of deduction referring to past time within the verbal group: An English-Spanish contrastive analysis. In A. Tsangalidis and R. Facchinetti, Studies on English Modality. In Honour of Frank Palmer, 229–258. Bern: Peter Lang.
Published
2012-12-13
Issue
Section
Registers, Genres and Text Types
How to Cite
Zamorano-Mansilla, J. R., & Carretero, M. (2012). An annotation scheme for dynamic modality in English and Spanish. Linguistics and the Human Sciences, 6(1-3), 297-320. https://doi.org/10.1558/lhs.v6i1-3.297
