The potential of verbs of thinking in the implementation of the modal meaning of desirability, possibility in media discourse

Bavula Yuliya Ivanovna Lecturer of the Russian Language Department of the branch of the Military Educational and Scientific Center of the Navy "Naval Academy" in Kaliningrad 236022, Russia, Kaliningrad region, Kaliningrad, Sovetsky Prospekt str., 82 bavula07@mail.ru Other publications by this author

The language "fits" into all spheres of modern society in many ways and in many ways, at the same time it is a repository of traditions and a flexible system that fixes in dynamics "the peculiarities of speech behavior, worldview, axiology, ethics, aesthetics of each nation" ^{[1, p. 26]}, performs an "intellectual and emotional-volitional function" ^{[2, p. 55]}.

In the modern science of language, it is widely believed that one of the main forms of existence of modern society is the language of mass media, that is, the language of mass media. "By informing a person about the state of the world and filling his leisure time, mass media have an impact on his consciousness, on his perception of the world, on the type of culture of today" ^{[3, p. 10]}. Linguists actively consider the concept of media centrality of Russian culture ^{[4, p. 345]}, the concept of mass media speech, put forward a hypothesis about the formation of a media variant of the entire literary language, which unites all styles in the space of mass media, subordinating them to their own laws ^{[1, p. 27]}. That is why "the newspaper-journalistic style, more broadly – the language of journalism, mass communication acts as a priority and full-fledged representative of the literary language" ^{[5, p. 52]}. Multidimensional linguistic research is conducted on the material of media texts from different chronological periods.  Media discourse, including newspaper discourse, "promptly reacting to the most recent events in extralinguistic reality, reflects the ongoing changes in the linguistic picture of the world, while maintaining a deep anthropocentricity ^{[6, p. 69]}. In scientific periodicals, I. Y. Kuksa clarifies, a newspaper text "traditionally qualifies as a communicative phenomenon", is characterized by a "communicative orientation to the reader" ^{[7, p. 158]}, performs locative, illocutionary, perlocutionary functions, which, among other things, determines interest in the conceptual and semantic category of modality, "providing a living connection of an utterance with The category of modality in the languages of the European system, including Russian, "covers the entire fabric of speech" ^{[2, p. 57]}, is the "soul of the sentence", "is formed as a result of the active operation of the speaker" ^{[9, p. 44]}, "has a whole complex of modal meanings" ^{[8, p. 4]}, "covers a wide range of heterogeneous linguistic phenomena" ^{[10, p. 332]}, is considered from the perspective of three levels of modal relations ^{[11, p. 141 – 147]}.

In this work, the focus of attention is focused on the relations of the third level – "the relationship between the subject of action (the bearer of the sign) and action (predicative sign) ^{[6, p. 11]}, in particular, on the expression and realization of the meaning of desirability, possibility, the complex of meanings "desirability + opportunity" by the verbs of thinking to think, to think, to decide (and their derivatives) in the media discourse. One of the most important content-structural components of the category of modality is considered – situational modality (in other terminology, intrasyntactic modality, subject modality, subject modality), through which the author differentiates the "state of affairs"   from the point of view of possibility, necessity, desirability" ^{[6, p. 77; 8, p. 4-7]}. Verbs of thinking are an important component of the speech-thinking process, they are among the lexical means of expressing situational modality.  The realization of the meaning of desirability, possibility, and the complex meaning of "desirability + opportunity" by thinking verbs in the language of modern periodicals is of particular research interest due to insufficient knowledge of the issue, as well as increased psychological desirability affecting different areas of human needs.

The above determines the relevance of this work, the object of which are the verbs of thinking of the modern Russian language, regularly used in the process of communication, including in the mass media, and the subject of the study is their modal meaning.

The scientific novelty of the article is determined by the material and the subject of the study.

The purpose of this work is to reveal the specifics of the modal functioning of this group of verbs in the media discourse.

Achieving this goal is facilitated by solving the following tasks: 1) identification of the modal meaning realized by the verbs of this lexico-semantic group (LSG) in the mass media; 2) determination of the conditions of modal functioning of the considered LSG.

The goals and objectives of this study determined the choice of a comprehensive methodology, including the following methods: functional-semantic, contextual, descriptive.

The theoretical significance of this work lies in the fact that the observations and conclusions obtained as a result of the study allow us to expand theoretical information about the functional-semantic, communicative-pragmatic category of modality, as well as stimulate further study of the specifics and conditions of modal functioning of thinking verbs.

The practical significance of the work lies in the fact that its materials can be used in university seminars, in practical classes on topical issues of linguistic modality.

The material for the analysis was sentences-statements, which contain the verbs to think, to think, to solve and their derivatives, as well as the constructions "verb of thinking + infinitive". Examples were extracted from the National Corpus of the Russian Language (NKRR)  using the continuous sampling method.

The modality category has been actively studied for more than 70 years.  There are numerous scientific papers devoted to the theoretical problems of linguistic modality (Vinogradov 1950, 1975, 1986; Bally 1955; Benveniste 1974; Zolotova 1962, 1973; Gak 1985; Zelenshchikov 2009; etc.) devoted to the study of modality in a diachronic aspect (Cherepanova 1965; Ozolina 1970; Dronova 2002; Vaulina 1988, 2005, 2018; Capre 2011; Bavula, Vaulina 2023), a functional-semantic approach to the study of modality has been developed (Bondarko 1971, 1983, 1984, 1996, 2001; Belyaeva 1985; Gekhtlar 1986; Vaulina 1988, 1993, 2010; Pavlovskaya 2001); including in the theory of interaction of language levels (Shcherba 1972 Jacobson 1972; Benveniste 1974), a number of dissertation studies devoted to the study of situational modality were written (Zagrodskaya 2003; Ostroverkhaya 2004; Gaponova 2007; Podruchnaya 2010; Tkachenko 2011), a functional and semantic analysis of situational modality was carried out (Shishkina 2001; Altabaeva 2002; Lopatyuk 2009; Hyunik 2009; Griva 2020, etc.), However, the question of the realization of the meanings of situational modality by verbs of thinking remains poorly understood (Vasiliev 1981; Vaulina 1988, 2007; Moroslin 2005; Bavula, Vaulina 2023; Bavula 2023).

The following provisions are significant. In Russian, a fairly frequent means of expressing the category of modality is a group of modal verbs – modal modifiers that perform a service function, capable in combination with a dependent infinitive to express the basic meanings of situational modality: reality, possibility, necessity, desirability (for example, the verbs can, should, want, desire, intend, etc.) (see, for example(Zolotova 1973; Vinogradov 1975; RG – 1980; Vaulina 1988, 1993; Magdalinskaya 2015, etc.). However, "linguists do not have a consensus of opinion on the composition of this group of vocabulary in the Russian language, the principles of its allocation and description" ^{[12, p. 674]}, the absence of which is due to a number of objective reasons ^{[13, p. 32]}.

The verbs of thinking considered in the article can perform a similar modal function to think, think, solve and their derivatives. The above verbs are classified as improper modal (see, for more details: Vaulina 1988, 1993, 2007), perform "the function of modal explicators only in part of their uses in combination with the subject infinitive. In other cases, they are semantically complete lexemes with independent real meanings" ^{[12, pp. 674-675]}.

Let's turn to the dictionary data. The verb to think has three main meanings "1. To reflect, to indulge in reflection." 2. "To believe, to count, to assume. 3. To intend, to get ready to do something" ^[14]. From the above definitions of the verb to think, it becomes obvious that in the first meaning it acts in its independent, non-modal function, and in the second and third meanings it performs the role of a modal modifier in combination with a dependent infinitive. We find confirmation of this in the texts of the mass media (printed press) from the NKRJ ^[15].

Cf. relevant examples from the NCR:

"... the deputy thought that his friends had such a document" (The main events of 2021 // Parliamentary Newspaper, 2021.12.31); "As far as I know, even Wayfair in America, which was created from the very beginning as an online furniture retailer, is thinking about opening physical stores" ("You can't have all the inflation to shift to prices" // Vedomosti, 2021.12.22); "Therefore, the scientist notes, Europe is sensibly thinking about expanding UGS, and filling them is most profitable in the summer, when gas prices are lower" (For the sake of combating imported gas, the EU is ready to sacrifice the Third Energy package // Vedomosti, 2021.12.14).

Cf.: "He thought after that to found his own startup" = he wanted, desired, intended to found a startup (The founder of the Brazilian Nubank did not take the example of Tinkoff Bank for nothing // Vedomosti, 2021.12.20); "By the way, they are thinking of expanding the geography of the last program to the entire river basin" = they want, they want, they intend to expand (Cross-border rivers will be translated into a "figure" // Parliamentary Newspaper, 2021.05.27); "I thought I would meet poverty, diseases, tears there" = I intended (wanted) to meet (What the voices of Radiogolos are silent about. The truth is always right // Arguments and facts, 1984.06.05).

 Let's turn to the vocabulary of the verb to think.  Thus, the following meanings of the verb to think are indicated in the Small Academic Dictionary: "To think 1. To reason, to compare the phenomena of objective reality and drawing conclusions. 2. Imagine in your mind, mentally imagine. 3. Calculate, assume" ^[14]. From the dictionary definitions of the verb to think, it follows that in the first two meanings it acts in its independent, non-modal function, and in the third meaning it performs the role of a modal modifier in combination with a dependent infinitive. 

Cf. relevant examples from the NCR:

"... to make the alliance a platform for political dialogue between all countries that think the same way with NATO in order to confront Russia and China..." (NATO intends to update the strategic concept to contain Russia // Vedomosti, 2021.02.17); "People think faster, think faster, perform certain technical actions faster" ("You can't leave with Spartak" // Izvestia, 2020.12.23); "... for the Russian Navy in Crimea (he) he thinks in terms of one of the aggressor countries..." (The source appreciated the idea of a Ukrainian political scientist about Pearl Harbor for Russia // RIA Novosti, 2020.12.22).

Cf.: "However, there is absolutely nothing to continue, as if everything that was still tremulously thinking of saying had also suddenly shifted..." = wanted, intended, tried to say (Valery Volodin. A vain funeral, a vain dead man (a slip of death) // Volga, 2010); "Yeltsin ... received information from intelligence that "the Republicans planned to introduce a beautiful young woman into the White House so that she seduced Clinton..." = they wanted, intended to introduce (Books // Russian Reporter, 2014).

Let's turn to the dictionary definitions of the verb solve 1: 1. After reflection, deliberation, come to a conclusion, a conclusion about something. Assign, schedule for implementation. 2. As a result of the discussion, make a conclusion and adopt a resolution. 3. Find the required answer, determine what you are looking for. Find a solution to something by explaining or doing something. Outdated. Eliminate, disperse. Find a way to implement, use something. 4. To become the defining, most essential thing in something. 5. Outdated. Finish it, bring it to the end. 6. Simple. To deprive of something-L. Kill; solve 2: Book. outdated. To unleash; complete unquestionable power ^[14]. The verb solve has the same dictionary meanings ^[14]. It should be noted that in the first, second, fourth, and fifth meanings it is realized as an independent, lexically complete verb, and in the third and sixth meanings, in combination with the dependent infinitive, it acts as a modifier of the invariant meaning of desirability (with its variant meaning of intention), possibility. L. M. Vasiliev is convinced that "the act of forming any intentions in the process of thinking is indicated by verbs with the reference word to solve with the invariant meaning of "mentally dwell on any intention", which is identical to the meaning of "coming as a result of expended mental and volitional efforts to any intention, plan of action" ^{[16, p. 137]}.

Cf. relevant examples from the NCR:

"The idea itself is very long overdue and solves a whole range of problems of agricultural producers, minimizes their losses and makes it possible to legally increase soil fertility," he told the Parliamentary Gazette (Manure is proposed to be considered a commodity, not waste // Parliamentary Gazette, 2021.12.27); "In the new year, the Chamber of Regions will pay special attention to documents which will allow all levels of public authority to work harmoniously, increase funding for the forestry industry and finally solve problems with the provision of medical care on the ground" (How much money senators managed to "knock out" for schools and roads // Parliamentary Gazette, 2021.12.24); "This category will be allowed to leave only after receiving the results of a more thorough check, the authorities decided PRC" (The population of China's border and port cities was banned from leaving without a COVID-19 test // Parliamentary Gazette, 2021.12.11).

Ms.: "It is important that in an open banking environment, users manage their own data, she adds: they decide what information to share and with which company, for how long to allow access, and can withdraw consent at any time" = they want to, intend to share (the Central Bank regulates open APIs // Vedomosti, 2021.12.12); "GBFoods, a manufacturer of fast food products under the brand Galina Blanca, decided to leave Russia" = wanted to, intends to leave (Manufacturer Gallina Blanca will sell the company in Russia // Vedomosti, 2021.12.30); "Apple has decided to fight personnel leakage with the help of large bonuses" = wants, intends, can fight (Apple has decided to fight personnel leakage with the help of large bonuses // Vedomosti, 2021.12.29); "Chemist Sergey Lebedev, who has been dealing with the problem of polymerization for many years, decided to take part in the competition" = wants, maybe intends to take part (How synthetic rubber appeared // Parliamentary Gazette, 2021.12.30).

Let's turn to the dictionary definitions of the reflexive verb to decide: 1. To stop at any intention as a result of reflection, thinking about something. To dare to do something, to dare. 2. Get this or that permission. Finally decide. 3. Simple. To fall into complete disrepair, to cease to exist. Die. 4. Simple. To lose something is L., to lose something is L. ^[14]. It should be noted that in the first meaning, the verb decide in combination with the infinitive performs the function of a modal modifier that implements the modal meaning of intention, and in other meanings, in similar syntactic conditions, the meaning of opportunity.   

Let's turn to the examples from the NCR:

"Beijing cultural critic Shi Wenxue told the resource that he himself recently decided to join the network "public committee" (In China, digital "public committees" will deal with the purity of the Internet // Parliamentary Newspaper, 2021.09.01); "Thus, our country became the first to decide to develop such a large-scale and at the same time extremely relevant for everything the world of the document" (The whole world was offered to pile on cybercrime // Parliamentary Gazette, 2021.07.28); "The norm is valid until January 1, 2022 — previously it was assumed that by this time the problem of defrauded shareholders would be solved, the authors of the initiative noted" (Escrow accounts were offered to be extended automatically when construction was delayed // Parliamentary Newspaper, 2021.12.10).

Cf.: "He died on the day when he decided to give way to the constitutional project of Mikhail Loris-Melikov" = he wanted, intended, could give way (How many times they tried to kill Alexander II // Parliamentary Newspaper, 2021.03.13); "Because of this, the expert doubts that the Poles will decide to completely abandon purchases of Russian gas after the launch of the Baltic Pipe" = they want, intend, will be able to refuse (Poland does not want to extend the contract with Gazprom after 2022 // Vedomosti, 2021.09.16); "But the rumor that Xiaomi will decide to embed a front-facing camera under the glass of the Mi 11 screen, network insiders refute" = wants, intends, will be able to embed (The date of the presentation of the first smartphone on Snapdragon 888 is named // Vesti.ru , 2020.12.22).

The analysis of media texts convinces that the verbs of thinking considered in the article to think, to think, to solve and their derivatives are able to perform the function of modal modifiers only in certain syntactic conditions – in combination with a dependent (subjective) infinitive. Thus, the verbs of thinking in combination with the infinitive realize the invariant modal meaning of desirability (the variant meaning of intention, attempts), possibilities, and in some cases the complex meaning of "desirability + opportunity". It should be noted that the key role in identifying the "shade" of the modal meaning realized by the verbs of thought and their derivatives belongs to the context, which allows us to perceive the communicative situation most fully and adequately.

In the course of the study, the lexical and grammatical basis of the modal specificity of the verbs of thinking to think, to think, to solve and their derivatives, the semantics of which implicitly contain a modal component, was determined.

The analysis of media texts has shown that the most frequent modal explicator of the meaning of desirability (intention), possibility is the verb to solve and its derivatives in combination with the infinitive. It is important to note that "in the forms of the perfect form, these verbs converge or even semantically coincide with the verbs of intention" ^{[16, p. 138]}, and "the semantic meaning of the verb to decide contains a particular meaning of intention, as well as possibilities ^{[13, p. 33]}.

The verbs of thinking to think, to think and their derivatives realize a similar function in combination with the dependent infinitive much less often. Isolated cases of the use of the verb thinking in the modal meaning of thinking have been recorded. Their functioning as semantically complete lexemes with independent lexical meaning is dominant.