The Mood & Modality System

Mood system is the system of grammar that related to the interpersonal

metafunction of language. The interpersonal metafunction is about the social
world, especially the relationship between speaker and hearer, and is concerned
with clauses as exchanges (http://www.ling.helsinki.fi). Interpersonal metafunction
can be explained by elaborating the semantics of interaction and the metalanguage
that related to language as interaction (exchange) and modality. Metalanguage is
language that used in talking about language. The term metalanguage was
originally used by linguist Roman Jakobson and other Russian Formalists to
characterize a language that makes assertions about other languages
(http://grammar.about.com).

In semantics of interaction, how the language is used to interact with others and to
negotiate relationship and to express opinions and attitudes will be looked at
clause. Halliday said that, whenever the language is used to interact with others
means that a relationship between the first and the second speakers is being
established (Eggins, 1994 on Emilia, 2014). According to Halliday, there are two
fundamental types of speech roles. Firstly, it is Giving (inviting to receive), for
example Would you like to have a cup of coffee? and secondly, it is Demanding
(inviting to give), for instance Can I have a cup of tea, please (Emilia, 20014, p.
107). Furthermore, there are two kind of commodities that can be exchanged, they
are Information and Goods & Services. In making a dialogue, there are four basic
moves are needed, they are statement, question, offer, and command. They are,
then, called as speech function. As the responses of those moves, there are two
alternatives; firstly, a supporting type of responding and secondly, a confronting
type of responding (Eggins, 1994 on Emilia 2014).

In relation to the metalanguage that relevant to the language interaction, there are
seven elements of Mood that are discussed: The first element are Subject and
Finite which included within the Mood. The Mood carries the interpersonal
functions of the clause and consists of Subject+Finite. Subject and Finite are the
very important elements of clause that make all interaction are possibly happened.
The order of Subject and Finite determines the type of mood within the clause
whether it is declarative, introgative, or negative. Generally, subject can be
identified in which usually it is a nominal element i.e. a noun or pronoun. While
Finite is generally a verbal element by which it is realised through a verbal group.
Finite can be characterized as a verbal group that changes depend on its subject or
time/tense while modal such as can, will, must and etc can be included as finite as
well. Finite expresses the process part of clause that makes it possible to argue
about the subject participant (Eggins & Slade, 1997, on Emilia 2014). The second
element is Predicator. It is similar to finite by which it is expressed within the
verbal group. It means that part of the verbal group is a finite and another is
predicator. In a sentence i.e. I think, the word think is included as finite and
predicator. However, if the verb that used at a clause is linking verb, it cannot be
categorized as predicator, in other words every linking verb is only categorized as
finite. The third element is Complement. It is an element within the Residue that
has the potential of being the subject but is not (Halliday, 1994 on Emilia 2014). A
complement can be adjective as in your jacket is good. Complement is similar to
Subject by which it is expressed by nominal group either a single pronoun or noun
or by sequence of words dependent on a head noun (Emilia, 2014). The forth
element is Residue. Residue can be defined as the rest of the clause which made
up of the Predicator, Complement, and Adjunct. The fifth element is
Adjunct. Adjunct is additional element. It functions as the extra information about
events expressed in the core of the proposition (Eggins & Slade, 1997, on Emilia
2014). Adjunct is realised commonly by an adverbial group or prepositional
phrase. (Halliday &Eggins & Slade, 1997, on Emilia 2014). There are tree types of
Adjunct: the first type is Circumstantial Adjunct which function as information of
circumstance at clauses. It can be in the form of adverbs or prepositional phrases
which express meanings about when, where, how, why or with what the
preposition occured, for example as in I will have graduated in August 2015. The
second type is Interpersonal Adjunct. It is included the adverbials and prepositional
phrases that express the judgements and opinions, and it can be categorized into
four types, they are Mood Adjunct (probability, certainty and usually values in the
clause), Polarity Adjunct (Including Yes, No, yea, nope, na, yep, etc), Comment
Adjunct (Express an assessment about the clause as a whole), and Vocative
Adjunct (Control the discourse by designating a likely “next speaker”). The third
type is Textual Adjunct. It expresses meanings about logical links and continuities
between one clause and earlier clause. These includes adverbs, prepositional
phrases or conjunction. Conjunctive Adjunct, Continuity Adjunct and Holding
Adjunct are included in the Textual Adjunct. The sixth element is Mood
Types. There are several mood types that can be identified. They are Declarative,
Polar Introgative, Tagged declarative, Wh- Introgative, Imperative, Exclamative,
Elliptical Clause, Minor Clause and Non-Finite Clauses. The last element is
Polarity. In linguistics, the distinction between positive and negative forms, which
may be expressed syntactically (“To be or not to be”), morphologically (“lucky”
vs. “unlucky”), or lexically (“strong” vs. “weak”) is known as polarity. In other
words, Polarity is to do with whether it a clause is negative or positive. However,
Minor clause is the only clause that is not included in Polarity.

Another system of grammar that has to do with the interpersonal meaning is

Modality. Modality refers to a complex area of English grammar which concerns
the different ways in which a language user can intrude on his/her message,
expressing attitudes and judgements of various kinds (Eggins, 1994 on Emilia,
2014). Modality System functions as a resources for indicating judgements and
evaluation (John & Lock, 2011 on Emilia). “[Modality] is what makes the
difference between a factual assertion like unicorns never existed, and a more
guarded view, such as it seems likely that unicorns could ever have existed–or a
bolder claim like the existence of unicorns must always have been a
myth. Modality, then, is a resource speakers and writers use when they are staking
claims to knowledge: it allows them to formulate different kinds of claims (e.g.,
assertions, opinions, hypotheses, speculations) and indicate how committed they
are to those claims.” (Cameron, 2007).

There are two types of Modality, they are Modalisation (epistemic modality) and
Modulation (deontic modality). When a modal verb is used to express the
speaker’s opinion about a statement, then this is epistemic
modality (http://www.usingenglish.com). Another definition, Epistemic modality is
a modality that connotes how much certainty or evidence a speaker has for
the proposition expressed by his or her utterance (http://www01.sil.org).
Modalisation is made up of Certainty,Probability and Usuallity. While Modulation
concerned with obligation and permission’ (Trask,1997 ), ‘involves the issuing of
directives and is associated with notions of such as permission or obligation’ (Lew,
1997). Biber (1999) points out two typical structural correlates of deontic modals:
(i) the subject is human, (ii) the main verb is dynamic (describing an activity that
can be controlled). Those two types of modality can be subjectively oriented (first
person statement) as in Najma will definitely be the first winner or it also can be
Objectively Oriented (third person statement) as in It is obvious that Yura is a
smart students. Types of Modality are also can be expressed in terms of different
value, i.e. Will (high), Can and May (median) and Might (Low).

References:

Emilia, E. (2014). Introducing Functional Grammar. Bandung: Pustaka Jaya.

Cameron, D. (2007)The Teacher’s Guide to Grammar. Oxford Univ. Press.

Trask, R.L. (1997). A Student’s Dictionary of Language and Linguistics. London:

Arnold.

Lew, Robert (1997). ‘Towards a Taxonomy of Linguistic Jokes’. Stidia Anglica

Posnaniensia

Biber, Douglas et al. (1999). Longman grammar of spoken and written English.
London: Longman.

http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/~gwilcock/Tartu-2003/GW-MScThesis/node16.html

http://chiasuanchong.com/2011/05/22/systemic-functional-grammar-part-2-the-
interpersonal-metafunction/

http://grammar.about.com/od/mo/g/metalanguageterm.htm

http://www01.sil.org/linguistics/glossaryoflinguisticterms/
WhatIsEpistemicModality.htm

http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/epistemic-modality.html

http://dinamico2.unibg.it/anglistica/slin/modgloss.htm

http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/polarityterm.htm