Modality is related to attitude and judgment, which have strong impacts on human communications.Throughout my Ph.D study in Xiamen University from September 2004 to July 2007, I took a deep interest in such interpersonal meanings as expressed by modal verbs and other modal devices.This research is a product of my long-time efforts, my supervisor’s patient guide, and my understandings from the national and international symposiums that I attended.
First and foremost, I wish to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Yang Xinzhang, without whose linguistic insights, strict requirements and patient guides, the completion of this dissertation would have been impossible.Professor Yang has guided me to correct linguistic approaches, and I have learned much about the approaches of systemic functional linguistics, and discourse analysis from him.His academic enthusiasm and scholarly achievements have had great impacts on me during my past three years of doctorate study and surely will influence me throughout my career.
I would also like to express my thanks to those professors with whom I had the honor to attend the international and national seminars on systemic functional linguistics and discourse analysis, such as Professor Hasan, Professor Martin, Professor Zhu Yongsheng, Professor Huang Guowen, and Professor Xin Bin.Through talks with these professors, I have understood much about the nature of research in linguistics.
Finally, I must offer my thanks to my family.My wife, Xu Zhuqin, and my son, Xiao Zhipeng, have encouraged me a lot to fulfill my doctoral pursuit in the past three years.Without their love and inspiration, I could never have succeeded.I appreciate their understandings of my long absence from home.