Functioning of Epistemic Modal Modifiers in Internet Discourse (by Material of English-Language Internet-Forums)

Abstract

The functioning of epistemic modal modifiers in Internet discourse is covered. The epistemic modal modifiers are defined as words, phrases and grammatical constructions indicating speaker’s attitude of the content of statement to reality set in terms of the authenticity / inauthenticity. The novelty of the work is seen in the research material: the online discourse appeared and became the subject of research relatively recently. The research urgency is caused by the fact that it is performed in line with such areas as the theory of modality and discourse analysis. The results of the quantitative analysis of the use of epistemic modal modifiers in texts of Internet forums are presented. The comparative analysis of the frequency of different grammatical forms of epistemic modal modifiers in the forums and fiction is made. The conclusion is, therefore, a high frequency of epistemic modal modifiers in texts of Internet forums with such characteristic of the online discourse, as a high degree of personification. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the pragmatic functions of epistemic modal modifiers in publications on Internet forums. Among them there are the function of indicating the subjectivity of the opinion, functions of expression of courtesy and support of the interlocutor. The hypothesis is developed about the influence of national and cultural specificity on the frequency of epistemic modal modifiers that perform specific pragmatic functions.