Evaluative Meanings and Disciplinary Values - eTheses Repository ...

[Applied Linguistics]
Sixteen examples with semi-modals are found in ALC, and include phrases such as be found
to, be meant to, have to, be said to, seem to, be needed to, consider, deem and seem, whereas
only 4 examples of this collocation are found in BC. Semi-modals express strength of
judgment, and here denote the writers epistemic certainty about the utility of a thing or an
action. Particularly, be said to, seem (to), consider and deem express a low degree of
confidence on the part of the writer. In other words, applied linguists seem to prefer to take a
more careful and measured approach towards the expression of judgment meanings than do
researchers in business studies. Martin and Rose (2007, p. 53) point out that modality is
another way of intr, and a resource for constructing
(cf. Halliday, 1994). That is, modals function as another
writers attitude towards the writers attitude expressed by the pattern A DJ PR EP N: the
writers voice is realized in the use of the pattern. As Afros and Schryer (2009) have pointed
out, in other words, language studies (i.e. applied linguistics) may be, as shown here,
markedly less assertive than some of its disciplinary neighbours.
By the same token, collocating adverbials with this group in the pattern show that
applied linguistics is more likely to add modalizing comments of all kinds than is business
studies. Table 8.3 below summarizes these collocating adverbials. As can be seen, adverbials
occur more than twice as frequently in ALC than they do in BC:
130