A Multifactorial Analysis Of The Choice Patterns Of Necessity Modals Must And Have To In Chinese Learner English

The modal verbs must and have to are two important means to express the meaning of necessity.They are different in forms but similar in meaning and same in function,and they are two commonly used synonyms in English.The nuance of the two makes it difficult to learn English.Based on ST3 and ST4 sub-corpora from CLEC and LOCNESS,this study,through using comparative analysis combined with quantitative and qualitative approach,explores the selection pattern of modals of necessity must and have to in Chinese EFL learner writings,and on this basis,this study further reveals the differences in the constrains of morphological,syntactic and semantic factors on the choice of must and have to,and the differences in selection mechanisms compared with that of native English speakers.The analyses reveal that:(1)Chinese EFL learners' selection pattern of must and have to is clearly different from that of native English speakers.(2)In terms of the factors that affect users' choice of must and have to,eight of the ten linguistic factors discussed in this study have a restrictive effect on native speakers,namely,four semantic factors:senses of the modals,subject referent animacy type,subject referent animacy,subject referent number,and four morphological factors:subject morphology,subject number,subject person and voice.However,there are only seven factors that influence Chinese EFL learners' choice including three semantic factors:senses of the modals,subject referent animacy type and subject referent animacy,and two morphological factors:subject morphology and subject person.Different from English native speakers,the two factors,clause type and verb type also have a constraining effect.These different influential factors play an important role in the different selection patterns between Chinese EFL learners and native English speakers.At the same time,this study found that as learners' English proficiency varies,factors that restrict their choices also differ:the higher the English proficiency level,the more restrictive factors are.(3)With regard to the selection mechanisms,both Chinese learners and native speakers recognize the prototype of must.However,the difference of their selection mechanisms is reflected by their usage patterns of the must/have to+ lexical verb constructions:native speakers regard must realize and have to pay as prototypical constructions,while CET-4 and CET-6 learners prefer must get and have to spend,must be and have to do respectively.The results of the study are not only beneficial to enrich the research of acquisition of modal verbs and cognitive linguistics,but to provide reference materials for Chinese learners to use must and have to in correct ways.Furthermore,the study has important pedagogical implications for the teaching of must and have to.