UNVEILING MODAL VERB PATTERNS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PAKISTANI AND NATIVE WRITERS' LITERATURE REVIEWS

Abstract

Modal verbs express different shades of meaning indicating a writer’s attitude, such as likelihood, obligation, probability, and possibility (Quirk, 1985). This study analyzes the modal verbs’ role in the interpersonal function of language (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2014) in the literature review section of a research article. It examines the expression of judgment or attitude in the literature review sections of research articles written by Pakistani and Native writers, focusing on epistemic, dynamic, and deontic modal verbs within Halliday & Matthiessen's framework of Systemic Functional Grammar. The researchers constructed a corpus of 40 research articles, 20 of each writer for analysis. The frequency and semantic meanings of modal verbs were explored in different contexts of the literature review section. Findings revealed that Pakistani writers predominantly used epistemic and deontic modal verbs, while both groups used dynamic modal verbs equally. However, Pakistani writers tend to lack an effective academic writing tone for the literature review section compared to Native writers. The study highlights the importance of English language learners developing a strong understanding of modal verbs to enhance pragmatic competence besides semantic meanings to express nuanced shades of attitudes in their written text.