MODALITY IN VIETNAMESE LINGUISTIC STRUCTURES AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR CROSS-LINGUISTIC STUDIES

Abstract

This study focuses on examining the category of modality in Vietnamese and its implications for cross-linguistic comparative research. Based on Palmer’s (2001) theoretical framework of three basic types of modality- epistemic, deontic, and dynamic, the study analyzes 520 sentences collected from three sources: journalism, literature, and natural conversation. The research methodology combines descriptive–analytical methods, contrastive–comparative analysis, and approaches from functional grammar, semantics, and pragmatics.

The results show that the distribution of modal devices in Vietnamese is stratified according to discourse type: journalism tends to favor modal predicates (44.0%), literature shows a predominance of particles and adverbs (40.6%), while conversation is marked by sentence-final particles (48.0%). A salient feature of the Vietnamese modal system is its flexibility, its strong dependence on context, and the rich diversity of sentence-final particles, elements without direct equivalents in English and less abundant in Chinese.

Comparison with English (310 sentences) and Chinese (305 sentences) reveals clear differences: English standardizes modality through modal verbs and intonation, Chinese employs modal verbs in combination with mood particles, while Vietnamese makes diverse use of predicates, adverbs, particles, and intonation with nuanced interpersonal meanings. Furthermore, references to previous studies (Bùi Thị Đào, 2014; Nguyễn Thị Nhật Linh & Nguyễn Văn Chính, 2024) reinforce the observation that Vietnamese tends to express obligation and strong assertion both in everyday communication and in legal texts.

This study not only contributes to clarifying the typological features and communicative culture of Vietnamese, but also provides important insights for translation, teaching Vietnamese as a foreign language, and cross-linguistic comparative research.