认识情态与传信情态

Chinese Epistemic Modality and Evidential Modality

认识情态与传信情态都可以表达说话人对于句子命题真值的判断,都属于混合型情态。但是,二者在认知机制的模式、所编码的情态意义、说话人的确信程度、主客观性程度等诸多方面存在明显的差异:认识情态是一种对命题真值的评估机制,传信情态则是一种通过推理的手段进行的论证机制;认识情态侧重说话人对信息的态度,而传信情态则侧重信息的来源;认识情态表达说话人的确信程度,有强弱之分,而传信情态则提供信息来源,无强弱之别,因此,认识情态的主观性程度要高于传信情态的主观性程度。

Epistemic Modality and Evidential Modality can express the speakers＇ estimation ot the truth of the proposition, and they overlap each other. They are quite different on the mode of cognitive mechanism／ the modal meaning／the speakers＇ degree of commitment／the degree of subjectivity and so on. Epistemic Modality is the cognitive mechanism of evaluation about the truth of the proposition; however Evidential Modality is the cognitive mechanism of demonstration by the methods of reasoning. Epistemic Modality emphasizes particularly on the speakers＇ attitude toward that information; however Evidential Modality emphasizes particularly on the sources of information. The speakers＇ of commitment expressed by Epistemic Modality have different degrees; However Evidential Modality just provides with the sources of information, and there are no different degrees. Finally, the subjective degrees of Epistemic Modality are much higher than the subjective degrees of Evidential Modality.