Differences In The Use Of English Modal Adjunct Between Users From Different Cultural Backgrounds

Based on the theoretical assumption that culture influences language use andfollowing relevant research,this study aims to describe and explain the differences inthe use of English modal adjunct between users from different cultural backgrounds.Differences in English discourse commonly exist between users from differentcultural backgrounds,but previous studies have not adequately addressed thedifferences in the use of modal adjunct in this regard.This study adopts a theoretical framework that describes the systematicrelationship between differences in discourse and differences in user's culturalbackground.The framework provides functional analysis of discourse,andestablishes the connection between function in discourse and the face systems ofculture.The differences in the use of modal adjunct are illustrated by those betweenadvanced English users from American versus Chinese cultural backgrounds.Twocontrolled datasets consisting of written English texts of personal commentaryappearing in the media respectively produced by these users are compiled.With arigorous scheme of analysis,the cross-dataset differences in the use of modal adjunctare identified.The major differences are:modal adjunct is used significantly morefrequently in the American dataset than in the Chinese dataset,and more types ofmodal adjunct are used in the American dataset than in the Chinese dataset.Thesedifferences are mainly exhibited in the use of some subsets of modal adjunct.On the basis of a thorough description of the differences,a functional analysis ofmodal adjunct in discourse is conducted in line with the theoretical framework.It isdemonstrated that modal adjunct has an involvement function in discourse,i.e.,theuse of modal adjunct functions to involve discourse participants in the constructionof information in discourse.Involvement refers to an emphasis on the identities ofdiscourse participants as speaker/author and addressee/reader,on the participation ofparticipants in discourse and on the shortening of distance between participants.Thedifferences are thereby interpreted in terms of the differences in the degree ofinitiating involvement in discourse.Involvement is characteristic of solidarity facesystem.Therefore,the differences in the use of modal adjunct are tentatively explained as a reflection of the difference in solidarity face system betweenAmerican culture and Chinese culture.Users from American cultural background aremore influenced by solidarity face system than users from Chinese culturalbackground in the presentation,construction and negotiation of information indiscourse.Through revealing the connection between the differences in the use of modaladjunct and the differences in user's cultural background,especially face systems,this study can help increase our understanding of the cultural implications of thedifferences in the micro-linguistic features in discourse,can help broaden the visionof variation studies in sociolinguistics and studies of cross-cultural variation indiscourse,and may contribute to the theorization on the relationship between cultureand language.