Modal collocation and how delicate modal systems can be. A cognitive-functional corpus study of semantic and syntactic effects of collocation between modal verbs and modal adverbs in UK and US English.

The research will investigate the dynamic nature of an aspect of language called 'modality', which enables speakers to assess the truth of what they say in terms of likelihood and obligations. Traditionally, the main recognised grammatical category of modality in English is built up of a paradigm of 'modal verbs' (can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might and must). English, along with a large number of other languages, also has lexical ('more meaningful') means to express modality, for example 'modal adverbs' (probably, possibly, necessarily, certainly, well, ...).

Keywords:GRAMMAR, MODAL VERBS, MODALITY

Disciplines:Linguistics, Theory and methodology of linguistics, Other languages and literary studies