基于语料库的英语商务新闻核心情态动词的研究_英语论文

A Corpus-based Study of Core Modals in English Business News

摘要

作者通过比较9个“核心情态动词”在自建英语商务新闻语料库（NYT）与美国通用英语CROWN语料库中的异同，探讨了情态动词在英语商务新闻中的分布和使用情况。运用软件AntConc3.3.0考察了两个语料库中的情态动词，从情态动词的使用频率、量值、肯否形式和语义类型四个方面展开了调研。研究发现英语商务新闻较美国通用英语而言多使用中量值情态动词，少使用高、低量值情态动词；多用肯定形式，少用否定和缩略否定的形式；多使用表达认识和动力意义的情态动词，少用表达义务意义的情态动词。以上情态动词在英语商务新闻中的使用特点反映了英语商务新闻正式严谨、准确真实的文体特点。

关键词：英语商务新闻；语料库：情态动词

Abstract

This paper aims to study the distribution and usage of the modal verbs in English business news. The author selects 9 "core modal verbs" and compares their differences in the self-built NYT English business news corpus and the general English corpus CROWN. Using the software AntConc3.3.0, we analyze the modal verbs in the two corpora by making a survey in four aspects: the frequency, the modality value, the form and the semantic type of modal verbs. It is shown that, compared with general American English, there are more moderate-value modal verbs and fewer high and low-value modal verbs, more affirmative forms and fewer negative or abbreviated negative forms, more modal verbs indicating epistemic and dynamic meaning and fewer modal verbs that express the deontic meaning in English business news. The above results concerning the usage of modal verbs reflect the  formal style of English business news and its features of accuracy and authenticity.

Keywords: English business news; corpus; modal verbs

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Modal verbs 1

3. Research methods 3

4. Results and analysis 4

4.1 Frequency 4

4.2 Modality value 7

4.3Affirmative and negative forms 8

4.3 Semantic types 8

Conclusion 9

References 10