MOYENS D'EXPRESSION DE LA MODALITÉ ÉPISTÉMOLOGIQUE DANS LE DISCOURS DRAMATURGIQUE FRANÇAIS

Abstract

The study of a multidimensional worldview is reflected in the research works of scholars in various fields. The linguistic aspect of research is an integral part of this space. Modality, as a subjective category that conveys the speaker's perception of information through his or her judgment, has always been the focus of researchers' attention and has been constantly enriched with new ideas. The conceptual basis of modality manifestations is realized in language, through which a person conveys his/her knowledge, competencies, and attitude to the world. Hence, the relevance of the study is to study the interaction of language with the depth of the human, emotional, mental, and psychological state based on analyzing the means of expressing epistemic modality in dramatic works, as well as to further study the development of the category of modality in the linguistic space and to develop the universal nature of the category of modality itself. The aim of the study is to identify, describe, and analyze the means of expressing epistemic modality in French-language drama discourse. The study clarified the status of the epistemic modality in linguistics within the framework of modal values, analyzed the descriptive means of expressing the epistemic modality, the peculiarities, and the nature of the assessment of reality, and investigated the specifics of the use of the epistemic modality in dramatic discourse. The study's object is the modality category in French-language dramatic discourse. The subject of the study is the means of expressing the category of epistemic modality in dramatic works. The material of the study were theatre plays by French writers: Albert Camus «Caligula», Eugène Ionesco «La Cantatrice chauve» і «La Leçon», Jean Giraudoux «Electre» і «La guerre de Troie n’aura pas lieu», Jean-Paul Sartre «Huis-clos», Samuel Beckett «En attendant Godot». The results of the study led to the recognition of the trichotomous nature of the category of modality: alethic, epistemic, and deontic modality. Epistemic modality directly relates to the speaker's knowledge of the world and his trust or distrust in reality. Epistemic modality in language finds its expression in lexical and grammatical means. In contemporary French-language dramaturgical discourse, epistemic modality manifests in statements realized in specific situations and enriched contexts. The practical significance of the research is determined by the ability to use the obtained results and main ideas in teaching courses on the theoretical and practical grammar of the French language, which can also be applied in the spheres of linguistics and foreign language teaching in further research work.