Lexical Means for Expressing Modality in the Macedonian Standard Language

Abstract

This paper aims to indentify the lexical means for expressing modality which are used in the press in the Macedonian language, their function and specific features. The research is a descriptive one and the data are collected from a large number of journalistic articles from electronic newspapers in the Republic of North Macedonia. The sample consists of 10 000 results searched on Google. The analysis of the data takes into account Halliday’s (1994) functional systemic analysis which connects the modality with the interpersonal function of the language which points out the speaker’s stance toward the content of the proposition, as well as Fowler’s (1994) attitude that the editors and journalists use textual strategies to foreground the speech acts that express values and beliefs. The research results show that in the journalistic discourse in the Macedonian language there are plenty of lexical means for expressing modality as in other languages. The results suggest that the journalistic articles function not only to inform the reader but also to direct him to certain point of view through the use of the appropriate modal lexical means.