ATEG Archives

June 2011

ATEG@LISTSERV.MIAMIOH.EDU
Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
Re: verb tense
From:
"Spruiell, William C" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 6 Jun 2011 02:31:05 +0000
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (55 lines) 

I suspect at least some of the motivation for "shall" in this statement is the statement's status as a fulfillment of a legal requirement. "Shall" isn't just (very) formal in American English, it's heavily associated with legal and pseudo-legal genres (like bylaws). Ask someone to imitate legalese, and "shall" will typically show up right alongside "party of the first part" and "make known and publish." I think OSHA requires a sign like that, although I don't think the "shall" part is mandatory (if it's not OSHA, then it's just about every state government in the country). 



--- Bill Spruiell






On Sat, Jun 4, 2011 at 10:09 PM, Kathleen Ward <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

    I've always heard it called the deonatic use ofnthe modal -- something
    that imposes an obligation on the hearer of an utterance.  It is a
    characteristic of modals in English that they have both deonatic and
    epistemically (degree of certainty) uses.

    Kathleen M. Ware.

    University of California, Davis


    On Saturday, June 4, 2011, Jane Saral <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
    > Friends have just returned from their annual pilgrimage to Ashland, Oregon, and on one flight they saw a sign in the flight attendants' area that said, "Hands shall be washed before serving food or drink."
    >
    >
    >
    > What is this use of "shall" called?
    >
    > Jane Saral
    > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
    >      http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
    > and select "Join or leave the list"
    >
    > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
    >

    To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
        http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
    and select "Join or leave the list"

    Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/


To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ 
To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/

ATOM RSS1 RSS2