Table 01: Speech Function and Speech Role
Role in exchange Commodity exchange
Good and services information
i giving
„offer‟ Would you like this teapot?
„statement‟ He
’s giving her teapot.
ii demanding
„command‟ Give me the teapot
„question‟ What is he giving her?
Source: Halliday and Mathiessen 2004:107 Halliday 1985:68 states that the most primary types of speech role
when people interact one another are: i giving and ii demanding through exchanging of expressions of utterances, that can be 1 goods and services and
2 information. These two variables define the four primary speech functions of offer, command, statement, and question. When people exchange information, the
language they use to one another is the part of interpersonal meaning, which is doing function of language.
a. Modality
Webster 1981:1451 states modality is the quality of being modal, or the qualification of logical propositions according to which they are distinguished
as asserting or denying the possibility, impossibility, contingency, or necessity of their content.
According to Bell 1991:146, modality is a part of the mood system, which provides option for expressing opinions on the probability of proposition
being true and its frequency.
Halliday 1985:335 states that modality refers to the area of meaning that lies between yes or no. the intermediate ground between positive and negative
polarity. Halliday also states that modality is the speaker ‟s judgment of
the probabilities, usualities, or the obligations involved in what the people saying. In
our everyday communication, some statements or utterances cannot be expressed by just
„yes‟ or „no‟. There degrees between „yes‟ or „no‟. 1. modalization
i probability may be indicative type
ii usuality sometimes modality
2. modulation i obligation is wanted to
imperative type ii inclination wants to
Figure 02. Modality System Halliday 1985:335 1 Modalization
Halliday 1985:86 states that modalization is one part of the grammatical area of modality. It has to do with the different ways in which
language users can intrude on hisher message expressing attitudes and judgments of various kinds. When modality is used to argue about the probability or
frequency of propositions, it is referred as modalization. Modalization is part of modality which is used to argue about the
probability or frequency of propositions. The clause is in the form of proposition.
A proposition is something that can be argued in particular way. When there is an information exchange, it means arguing whether something IS or IS NOT.
Modalization is always expressing the implicit judgment of the speaker because it is the way the speaker getting into the text expressing a judgment about
certainty, likelihood, or frequency of something happening or being. The expressions of modalization can cover mood adjunct and modal auxiliaries.
Modalization involves the expression of probability and usuality. Modalization involves the expressions of i probability and ii usuallity. Eggins 1994:179
argues that probability is where the speaker expresses judgments as to the likelihood or porbability of something happening or being. Usuality is where the
speaker expresses judgments as to the frequency with which something happen. a
Probability It occurs when there is an expression of judgments to the likelihood or
probability of something happens. Eggins 1997:100 ranges the degrees of probability from
“high” which means almost certain to “low” that means very
uncertain it can be. It can be illustrated as follows.
Table 02: The Degree of Probability Expression
Degree
He eats two apples. positive polarity
He must definetely eats two apples. modalized: high probability
He may perhaps eats two apples. modalized: medium probability
