Functional Characteristics of Modal Markers in German, Russian, and Udmurt

Abstract

The research considered the pragmatic identity of modal markers in German, Russian, and Udmurt. The research objective was to describe the semantic and pragmatic properties of modal utterances in order to establish the functional equivalence of modal markers in these languages. The utterances with modal markers demonstrated a whole complex of lexical means that express modality, probably, because these languages are actively developing, while maintaining the identity and culture of the peoples they represent. The pragmatic features of modal markers were studied in the process of communication on the basis of linguistic and extralinguistic (contextual) factors. The modal markers expressed various feelings and emotional responses; they revealed semantic and pragmatic unity and were responsible for the differences in the communicative and pragmatic characteristics of the utterances.

Keywords

• modal words
• modal particles
• functional equivalence
• communicative-pragmatic meanings
• subjective-modal shades