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
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