linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

, modal particles are always

uninflected word In linguistic morphology, an uninflected word is a word that has no morphological markers (inflection) such as affixes, ablaut, consonant gradation, etc., indicating declension or conjugation. If a word has an uninflected form, this is usually t ...

s, and are a type of

grammatical particle In grammar, the term ''particle'' (abbreviated ) has a traditional meaning, as a part of speech that cannot be inflected, and a modern meaning, as a function word associated with another word or phrase, generally in order to impart meaning. Altho ...

. They are used to indicate how the speaker thinks that the content of the sentence relates to the participants'

common knowledge Common knowledge is knowledge that is publicly known by everyone or nearly everyone, usually with reference to the community in which the knowledge is referenced. Common knowledge can be about a broad range of subjects, such as science, literat ...

or add mood to the meaning of the sentence. Languages that use many modal particles in their spoken form include

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, Hungarian,

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

, Nepali,

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

and

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

. The translation is often not straightforward and depends on the context.

Examples

German

The German particle ''ja'' is used to indicate that a sentence contains information that is obvious or already known to both the speaker and the hearer. The sentence ''Der neue Teppich ist rot'' means "The new carpet is red". ''Der neue Teppich ist ja rot'' may thus mean "As we are both aware, the new carpet is red", which would typically be followed by some conclusion from this fact. However, if the speaker says the same thing upon first seeing the new carpet, the meaning is "I'm seeing that the carpet is obviously red", which would typically express surprise. In speech the latter meaning can be inferred from a strong emphasis on ''rot'' and higher-pitched voice.

Dutch

In Dutch, modal particles are frequently used to add mood to a sentence, especially in spoken language. For instance: * Politeness **''Kan je even het licht aandoen?'' (literally: "Can you turn on the light?" with the added "even" indicating that it will not take you long to do so.) ** ''Weet u misschien waar het station is?'' ("Do you perhaps know where the train station is?")
''Misschien'' here denotes a very polite and friendly request: "Could you tell me the way to the train station, please?" ** ''Wil je soms wat drinken?'' ("Do you occasionally want a drink?")
''Soms'' here conveys a sincere interest in the answer to a question: "I'm curious if you would like to drink something?" * Frustration ** ''Doe het toch maar.'' ("Do it nevertheless, however.")
''Toch'' here indicates anger and ''maar'' lack of consideration: "I don't really care what you think, just do it!" ** ''Ben je nou nog niet klaar?'' ("Are you still not ready yet?")
''Nou'' here denotes loss of patience: "Don't tell me you still haven't finished!" Modal particles may be combined to indicate mood in a very precise way. In this combination of six modal particles the first two emphasise the command, the second two are toning down the command, and the final two transform the command into a request: * ''Luister dan nu'' ''toch maar'' ''eens even''. ("Listen + at this moment + now + just + ''will you?'' + only once + only for a while", meaning: "Just listen, will you?") Because of this progressive alteration these modal particles cannot move around freely when stacked in this kind of combination. However, some other modal particles can be added to the equation on any given place, such as gewoon, juist, trouwens. Also, replacing the "imperative weakener" maar by gewoon (indicating normalcy or acceptable behavior), changes the mood of the sentence completely, now indicating utter frustration with someone who is failing to do something very simple: *''Luister dan nou toch gewoon eens even!'' ("For once, can you just simply listen for a minute?")

References

{{Authority control Parts of speech

Examples

German

Dutch

See also

References