the case of forensic documents

7/23/2019 The Case of Forensic Documents

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Semantic Analysis of Deontic Modality in Forensic Linguistic Texts:

The Case of Forensic Documents

Mohammed H. Al Aqad

Faculty of Languages and Linguistics

University of Malaya, MALAYSIA

E-mail:[email protected]

Abstract

The focus of this study is in the domain of Forensic Linguistic which considers a very specific genre of

discourse. It seeks to examine how English and Arabic languages express deontic modality in forensic texts and

why this particle is used in such kind of documents. This a study is a significant in regard to provide some

insights into the features of English and Arabic in denoting modality in terms of forensic texts, and most

importantly is to arrive at a better understanding of the function of deontic modality in the genre of forensic

corpus. The study method adopted Newmark (1988) in order to determine the methods/ strategies of valid

translation, also this paper includes a descriptive analysis of a sample of five (5) forensic texts; each text provides

the same version in two languages: English and Arabic in order to examine the semantic change of modals used.

English is different from Arabic in regard of probabilities, obligations, usuality and inclination as well, in terms of

value of modality. For example: in English the word Must is used for subjective obligation, but in Arabic the

word yajeb must, is used for objective obligation, however; both languages hold a different type of recognition

of modal expressions. The data of the study is interesting due to the authoritative text involved, and widely used

in numerous cases. The findings from this study provide evidence that both of the two highlighted languages has

their own structures, styles and preferences in expressing deontic modality in forensic discourse, however; the use

of deontic modality in these texts is deliberately meant to offer information in a fuzzy and equivocal way. The

main conclusions drawn from this study are: despite the remarkable differences and preferences specific to each

of the both languages, these languages tend to use expressions of deontic modality as a manipulating instrument

to unearth the attitude of perpetrator.

Keywords:Deontic Modality, Forensic Text, Arabic and English, Semantic Change, Fuzzy Meaning.
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