Pour une pragmatique de 2nd degré : le système des auxiliaires modaux en anglais

Abstract

Modal auxiliaries in English are usually defined as markers of subjective valuation of an utterance. This appears as a beneficial complement to classical logic with the inclusion of axiological and intersubjective data. And yet, if the focus remains on subjective endorsement alone, how can the objectivity of the semiotic material be accounted for ? This paper tries to provide answers without resorting to circular factors such as history or convention. Objectivity is not just a legacy of the past. It obtains through the very use of language in communicative contexts. The subjective interpretation of signs in effective contexts must therefore be neatly distinguished from their systemic construction and adaptation. Such a dynamic conception of language is provided for by the Théorie de la Relation Interlocutive (Douay & Roulland 2014) which makes it possible to connect the two aspects of the Act of speech, usage on the one hand and the systemic construction on the other. The system of modal auxiliary verbs in English is a perfect illustration of this connection.

Keywords

• interpretation
• system
• self-reference
• theory of the interlocutive relation
• Modal auxiliaries
• systemic meaning