主观性和述行性在英语模态中的地位——兼与Lyons和Palmer等商榷

The Status of Subjectivity and Performativity in English Modality

模态是语言学的重要范畴,是主观性和客观性、述行性和非述行性的对立和统一。西方学者关于这些问题的几个传统观点是不全面、不准确的,值得商榷;英语模态的主观性和述行性相随,客观性和非述行性相伴。这两组概念相关对应,均非模态的本质性特征或标准。

This paper studies subjectivity and performativity in English modality, an important category of linguistics. It calls in question some traditional views proposed by the Western scholars on these issues. It points out that modality is a unity of the opposite concepts: subjectivity vs. objectivity and performativity vs. non-performativity. Subjectivity goes with performativity and objectivity with non-performativity. These two groups of concepts are related to and correspondent with each other. None of them can be an essential character or criterion of modality.