摘    要: 

　　文献分析表明,已有研究对英语认识情态主客观性的区分主要依赖言据,实质上忽视了说话人的作用,尚存缺陷和不足｡本文尝试用主观性和主观化理论解释认识情态主客观类型的变化｡研究发现,认识情态的主客观性由说话者思维深刻度和说话者与命题的二分或融合的关系决定,说话者思维深刻､情态与命题二分时为主观情态,否则为客观情态;认识情态主客观性的变化机制为图形-背景变换,情态动词和命题可以互为图形和背景,较好地解释了认识情态主客观性的转换｡ 

　　关 键 词: 

　　认识情态､主客观性变化､主观化理论､图形-背景 

　　作者简介: 

　　汤敬安,湖南师范大学/吉首大学。 

　　白解红,湖南师范大学。 

　　相关信息: 

　　此文系汤敬安主持的湖南省社科基金课题“英汉情态范畴向将来时演变研究”(11WLH46)的系列成果之一｡特别感谢《外语教学与研究》编辑部提出的宝贵修改意见｡ 

   （本文刊于《外语教学与研究》2015年第47卷第4期P.522-534）

　　Variation in subjectivity and objectivity of epistemic modality and its underlying mechanism 

　　TANG Jing’an;BAI Jiehong 

　　A review of the literature shows that existing studies classify subjectivity and objectivity of epistemic modality in terms of evidentiality, ignoring the role of the speaker. This paper, however, attempts to explicate changes in subjectivity and objectivity of epistemic modality by drawing upon the theory of subjectivity and subjectification. It argues that variation in subjectivity and objectivity of epistemic modality is affected by the depth of the speaker’s thinking and the separate or integrated relation between the speaker and proposition concerned. To be specific, the epistemic modality is subjective when the speaker meditates deeply and is isolated from the proposition; otherwise, the epistemic modality is objective. The mechanism of change in subjectivity and objectivity of epistemic modality is believed to be a shift in figure and ground, where epistemic modality and the proposition concerned appear as figure and ground respectively.