فاطمه رسولی دانش

This purpose of the present study is to investigate mood and modality, their conceptual relationship and the functional dimensions of their use in Persian. To do so, the contexts of Goli Taraghi’s books are put under scrutiny. Three collections of short stories and one novel are studied. An overall of twenty thousand clauses are investigated. The frequency of the sentential moods and the modality are statistically evaluated. Moreover, the use of more prevalent modal elements are determined. According to the study, the dominant sentential moods are declarative, interrogative, imperative and exclamative, respectively.   Furthermore, eleven percent of interrogative clauses are approximately used to express other speech functions. In addition, modality can be expressed by a variety of modal elements, such as modal verbs, mental clauses, modal adverbs, modal adjectives, modal prepositional phrases, and modal nouns. Mental clauses express modality subjectively and explicitly. Modal verbs show subjective and implicit modality. Modal adverbs express modality objectively and explicitly. Modal adjectives manifest objective and explicit modality. Modal prepositional groups show modality subjectively and can be either explicit or implicit. On the other hand, mood and modality can illustrate the values of the context. Values, ideology and modality within the discourse are interrelated, and modality can be useful to analyze the production of values. Value analysis is related to three distinctive fields. First, social reality representation within discourse is value laden. That is, each conceptual system is full of values which implicitly affect people. Second, speakers with positive identities can create values. Third, implicit values in context evoke emotions. These values are identified within discourse of the narrative. Moreover, values, attitudes and power relationships beyond them are depicted within the context. Therefore, contextual analysis is combined with intertextual forms to analyze values. Then the related motivational values are illustrated as binary counterparts. Finally, this dissertation proposes that there can be a relationship between identity, mood and modality. Marcia’s identity statuses are based on two aspects of commitment and exploration. Epistemic and deontic modalities show the speaker’s commitment. Moreover, exploration can be depicted by boulemic modality and characters’ discourses and activities.