Sketch of a Pragmatic Framework to Teach the Meanings of the Negative Forms of Modals

Abstract

Abstract : Modal verbs are frequent in the English language and their forms, the NICE properties, are taught to EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners at early stages of their apprenticeship. The meanings of modals are taught at the intermediate level. Nonetheless, at university, even in faculties where English is used as a medium of instruction, many students fail to use modals with negation appropriately or to understand the right meanings of the negative forms of modals. This failure is partly due to the fact that teachers use inappropriate frameworks to teach them. It raises the question of the existence of a scientifically-based framework to teach modals. This paper tackling the issue of teaching the meanings of the negative forms of English modals in an EFL context provides a framework based on a pragmatic approach. The framework is fostered by earlier data collected in the Department of Anglophone Studies at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University in Burkina Faso. It is built on errors made by students in the production and comprehension of the negative forms of modals through Written Completion Tasks and Multiple-Choice Questions. Ultimately, a four-step framework takes shape for an effective teaching of the meanings of the negative forms of modals. Keywords: pragmatics, modals, negation, EFL