Probability Modality analysis in Melania Trump's and Ivanka Trump's campaign speeches in Republican National Convention, July 19th, 2016.
Vol. 17 No. 1 – April 2017 ISSN: 1410-5691 print; 2580-5878 online
29 In 10, modal adverb has to is employed.
This modal is categorized in high level of obligation which means something that
cannot be negotiated. In the other words, it can be insisted as a must. The modal is
followed by auxiliary verb be and a noun phrase a plan. Melania Trump refers that a
plan is a must in order to achieve the fairness. In the other words, Melania Trump infers that
the fairness will be achieved only if there is plan for that.
Below are the examples of obligation found in vanka Trump s campaign speech.
11 He will ask them for their feedback, if they think something should be done
differently or could be done better. 12 Policies that allow women with children
to thrive should not be novelities. The modality which is used in 11 is should.
This modality is included in mid-level of obligation. Since it is included in mid-level,
this modal means supposed. The sentence has he as the subject of the sentence which
contextually refers to Donald Trump. The verb that follows the modal is a passive verb
be done. The purpose of Ivanka by uttering this sentence is to show that Donald Trump
always asks them the officers for feedback. This has a purpose to see whether there is
something that is supposed to be done differently.
Sentence 12 has similar modal, should. This belongs to the mid-level of obligation
which means supposed. There is an auxiliary verb that follows the modal, which is be, and
the noun novelties. However, there is a negation not in the sentence which, in this
case, shows something that cannot be done. Ivanka Trump utters the sentence to argue
that the policies that allow women with children to thrive are not supposed to be
novelties. In the other words, it has to be a tradition and something in common.