A study on epistemic modal elements expressed in the selected State of the Nation Address of Ghana
Table 3.
Comparative Analysis of FrequencyDistribution of Epistemic Modality in the 2 Speeches
|
| Modal Verbs & Elements |
2001 Speech |
2008 Speech |
Total Occurrence |
|
|
| Would |
Tentativeness 1 |
Tentativeness 3 |
4 |
|
| May |
-- |
Certainty 3 |
3 |
|
| Will |
Tentative 2Certainty 1 |
- |
1 |
|
| Should |
-- |
Certainty 1 |
1 |
|
| Might |
-- |
Certainty 2 |
3 |
|
| Could |
-- |
Tentative 1 |
1 |
|
| Modal adjuncts |
Certainty 2 |
Certainty 5Uncertainty 2 |
72 |
|
| Temporality |
Certainty 9 |
Certainty 55 |
64 |
|
| Mood adjuncts |
Certainty 4 |
Certainty 21 |
25 |
|
| Total |
17 |
93 |
111 |
|
|
|
