De La Salle University Manila
Department of English and Applied Linguistics College of Education
Use of Modal Auxiliary Verbs in Philippine Presidents SONA
Submitted by:
Nelson C. del Mundo (11390387)
Submitted to:
Dr. Leah E. Gustilo
Use of Modal Auxiliary Verbs in Philippine Presidents SONA Introduction
The popular role of language in the life of people and the society as a whole
cannot be under-estimated or over-emphasized. Language is used as a medium of tranquility, persuasion and progression on one hand, and a medium of uproar, anarchy and retrogression on another hand. Sapir (1939) in Nartey & Yankston (2014) considers
language as a purely human and non- instinctive method of communicating emotions and desires by means of a system of voluntarily produced symbols. Language is given
expression in different contexts, amongst which include media, religious, familial or domestic and societal settings. The present study focuses on an essential and a notable form of political speech, the Philippine President’s SONA.
Numbers of studies have investigated the language using modal auxiliary; for example, Gustilo (2011), Fraser (2010) and Bista (2009). Most of these studies,
however, focused attention on how modals was used across genres, thereby foregrounding elements such as semantic functions, hedging in political communication and syntactic and semantic properties.
Gustilo (2011) analyzed the semantic functions of modal auxiliaries in a corpus of Philippine English Newspapers. Regarding the distributional frequencies of modals will
appeared to be the most occurring device followed by can. Will semantically refers to prediction and volition while can refers to possibilities and abilities. The occurrence of these two modal auxiliaries, will and can, shows an interesting account in the results
Fraser (2010) examined the use of hedging in political discourse. The semantic implication of modal auxiliary verbs in political discourse, in general, and political manifestos, in particular, though important, remains relatively under-researched in the
literature, albeit such verbs have the propensity to reveal very subtle meanings of the nature of political discourse.
Bista (2009) also researched into the syntactic and semantic properties of “Yes We Can” as used by Barack Obama, president of the United States.
The Gap in the Study
Politics in the Philippines get too much attention not only from the Filipino people but across our neighboring countries in Asia and the whole world. The president’s state
of the nation address has become significant because it acts as the voice of government for people. Yearly, the president of our country gives Congress and the people an update of national situation.
The semantic implication of modal auxiliary verbs in political discourse, in general, and political speeches, in particular, though important, remains relatively
under-researched in the literature, albeit such verbs have the propensity to reveal very subtle meanings of the nature of political discourse.
Given the paucity of studies on modality in political discourse, particularly in
political speeches, the present study sets out to fill this niche.
1. What are the most extensively used modal auxiliary verbs in the selected SONAs of the Philippine Presidents?
2. What meanings do these modal verbs bring to bear on the overall message
conveyed by the SONAs?
Scope of the Study:
The use of modal auxiliary verbs in the first and last state of the nation address (SONAs) of the Philippine Presidents since the 1970s is the scope of the study. This
study is limited to the text corpus that consists of ten SONAs, two papers from each President: Ferdinand E. Marcos, Corazon C. Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo, and Benigno S. Aquino III.
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual thrust of this study is underpinned by the concept of modality. At
the outset, we must indicate that modality is a stubbornly contentious concept that eludes precision. For this reason, we make no pretense to provide an avalanche of
scholarly trajectories on the subject. Specifically, we shed light on some notable taxonomies and functions of modal auxiliary verbs. Sometimes called ‘helping verbs’, modal auxiliary verbs are ‘little’ words that precede the main verb of a sentence, and are
largely used (across registers) to express a speaker's or writer's "opinion or attitude towards the proposition that the sentence expresses or the situation that the proposition
Erhman (1966:9) in Nartey and Yankston (2014) explains the meaning of modal auxiliaries as, “that closed class of verbs which may occupy the first position of a verb phrase, which may not be immediately preceded by another verb, which may invert with
the subject in interrogation, and which is negated by ‘not’”. In this vein, Erhman intimates that each modal verb has a basic meaning as well as a subsidiary meaning –
what she refers to as ‘overtones’. Similarly, Biber, Conrad and Leech (2002:28) in Nartey and Yankston (2014) consider modal verbs as first verbs in a clause, and are followed by the base form of another verb, usually a main verb. According to Halliday
(1970), the grammar and semantics of modal auxiliary verbs in native English have engaged scholarly attention for a long time; for example, Palmer (1979), Coates (1983),
Hudlestone (1984), Quirk et al. (1985), etc. Even so, modal auxiliary verbs pose complex problems as far as linguistic description is concerned. Classifying modal auxiliary verbs is by no means unproblematic, since individual modals may function in
more than one category. Palmer (2001 p. 10), for instance, explains that can conveys permission in the structure, “John can come in now”, but conveys ability in the sentence,
“John can speak French”. Given the multiplicity of possible meanings that can be adduced from a particular modal verb, Branford (1967:144-145) in Nartey and Yankston (2014) points out that, "It is probably better to avoid labelling any modal too specifically
(e.g. 'may' = 'possibility') but to study each according to the context as one finds it". There is therefore no gainsaying the position that contextual cues are pivotal as far as
As regard the classification of modal auxiliary verbs, linguists have approached the English modals in different ways, logically and formally. Halliday (1979: 189-210) views modality as part of the interpersonal constituent of language and subsequently classifies
the English modal auxiliary verbs in terms of modality and modulation (i.e. the ideational constituent of language).
Methodology
The data for this study are corpus of selected SONAs of the Presidents since the 1970s, first and last were selected because some are in vernacular form and an exact
English translation was difficult to acquire. The text corpus consists of ten SONAs; two papers from each President: Ferdinand E. Marcos; Corazon C. Aquino; Fidel V. Ramos;
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Benigno S. Aquino III to represent a broad cross-section of political discourse. Transcripts of the SONA are in English version, which is archived online in websites such as www.gov.ph. The study is essentially a qualitative content
analysis. An analytical description, the study is not supported by rigorous statistical material (although some minimal quantitative techniques were used) but by details and
illustrations drawn from the data. Content analysis is a key methodological apparatus that enables researchers to understand the process and character of social life and to arrive at a meaning, and it facilitates the understanding of the types, characteristics and
organizational aspects of documents as social products in their own right as well as what they claim. Specifically, we employed intercoding to summarize the data by
questions as we culled the various modal auxiliary verbs, and emphasized the meanings that could be contextually attributed to them.
Unit of Analysis
The unit of analysis is the occurrence of each type of modal auxiliary verbs in the text as identified by Simple Concordance 4.09. The researcher read and analyzed
manually the text corpus because of homophones.
Results and Discussion
Research Question 1:
What are the most extensively used modal auxiliary verbs in the selected SONAs of the Philippine Presidents? From the analysis, the researcher found that all the nine
central modal auxiliary verbs established in the grammar of English (Quirk et. al, 1985; Gustilo 2011), with the exception of might, were used in varying proportions in the political speeches. The modal verbs identified include could, can (not), need to, must,
shall, should, may (not), would and will. As is evident in the itemized modals, two (can and may) were used in their negated and their non-negated forms.
Table 1. Distribution of Modal Auxiliary Verbs – Ferdinand E. Marcos
FIRST LAST Total
Modal Auxiliary Verbs
Frequency Percentage Frequenc
y Percentage Frequency Percentage
Could 0 0 3 2.42 3 1.16
Can 13 9.63 17 13.71 30 11.58
Need to 5 3.70 12 9.68 17 6.56
Must 20 14.81 16 12.90 36 13.90
Shall 40 29.63 20 16.13 60 23.17
May 8 5.93 4 3.23 12 4.63
Would 10 7.41 5 4.03 15 5.79
Will 26 19.26 42 33.87 68 26.25
TOTAL 135 100.00 130 100.00 265 100.00
Table 2. Distribution of Modal Auxiliary Verbs – Corazon C. Aquino
FIRST LAST Total
Table 3. Distribution of Modal Auxiliary Verbs – Fidel V. Ramos
Table 4. Distribution of Modal Auxiliary Verbs – Gloria M. Arroyo
Table 5. Distribution of Modal Auxiliary Verbs – Benigno S. Aquino III
FIRST LAST Total presidents of the Republic of the Philippines. Individually, the researcher tallied the occurrence of modal auxiliary verbs based on the first SONA and the last SONA.
Table 6. Overall Distribution of Modal Auxiliary Verbs – FIRST & LAST SONAs for the FIVE PRESIDENTS
FIRST LAST Total
manifested in the first and lasts SONAs of the Philippine President in their individual results notice Table 1-5. Can (not) follows will as the modal with the second highest frequency of occurrence, with an occurrence rate of 218. Must also has quite a number
of occurrences, 182 in total including would 111, shall 110, and need 102. While these three modal verbs are fairly preponderant (as evidenced by Table 6) in the political
speeches, modals like may (occurring 66 times), should (occurring 70 times), and could (occurring 66 times) are minimally used. The fact that the use of certain modal verbs is more frequent than others substantiates the point that modal auxiliary verbs are
contextually deployed to achieve specific communicative intents and purposes in different registers. Hence, we maintain that the preponderance or otherwise of specific
Next, we discuss the possible contextual meanings and semantic functions attributed to the modal auxiliary verbs in the political speeches.
Research Question 2: What meanings do these modal verbs bring to bear on the
overall message conveyed by the SONAs? Before proceeding with the second phase of the analysis, the researcher must mention that the functions identified and discussed
here are by no means exhaustive. The given illustrative examples fit well with the corresponding modality, and could be contextualized at length. The overriding purpose here is not to provide a definitive number of functions of the modals, but to give an
integrative idea of the encompassing nature of the English modals, and to demonstrate that these modal verbs can be taken into perspective to articulate lucidity of attitudinal
propositions. The researcher presents the functions subsequently.
Could in the SONAs is used 66 times across 10 political speeches, representing a percentage of 4.33%. In one instance of its usage in the SONA, could is used to
express a strong possibility. The use of could in this regard buttresses Quirk et al.’s (1973) assertion that could can be used to express a possibility (theoretical or factual).
This finding, however, repudiates Newson’s (2008) position that the traditionally considered past tense forms of modal verbs- might, could, should and might convey weaker propositions.
1) In this work, thankfully, the justice system has recently brought to bar high-profile pedophiles and abusers of children. [Applause] But we do need the enactment of the Anti-Rape Bill, which could have been done in your previous session.
2) The bill could be patterned after the well-known RICO statute in the United States.
(Fidel V. Ramos)
3) And, unlike the situation in 1997 when a battered Asia could still lean on the strength of the advanced economies, today our main trading partners like Japan and America are slowing down as well.
(Gloria Arroyo)
4) What if the freshness of the fish could be preserved in a cold storage facility? You could go to the merchant and still sell your catch at full price. You would exert the same amount of effort, but you would receive the right compensation for it.
(Benigno Aquino III)
This supposed contravention with Newson’s position reinforces our position that the various English modals cannot be generalized in their semantic underpinnings; instead, they are largely influenced by the different contextual indices, discourse
determinants and situational factors. Indeed, it would be alarming and altogether puzzling if a promise captured in political speech is expressed in a weak tone.
Can (not) occur 218 times in all SONAs, representing a total percentage of 14.29% thus, it occurs quite frequently in the political speeches. As a modal verb in the SONAs, can is used to expresses ability and theoretical possibility. It is used to express
ability in the utterances.
5) Self-sufficiency in the production of food, especially rice, must be attained in the shortest possible time. We must also improve and diversify our production of export crops so that we can develop Philippine agriculture into a reliable earner of foreign exchange.
(Ferdinand E. Marcos)
savings. Meanwhile, debt service was taking half our export earnings. Rescue could only come from foreign sources, both official and private.
(Corazon C. Aquino)
7) Twenty-eight days ago, I entered into the presidency. Since then, my principal object has been to know all that one can possibly know—in that brief time—of the problems facing the nation, the opportunities open to us and the support we can count on from our people and from our friends in the world.
(Fidel V. Ramos)
In 7), can is used to question the possibility of counting on from our people and
from our friends in the world. The use of can, as is evident in this example, nullifies any form of uncertainty or even possibility, and emphatically presents the propositions as
factual and wholly true. Given this, the message put forward is likely to be taken seriously and accepted by people as true. The factual proposition advanced by the use of can in the example is likely to instigate a lack of confidence. This is because the
proposition expressed by can in the example suggests that the government is expecting the support of our allies. These negative impressions (as can be deduced from the
example) are presented, not as assumptions, suppositions or mere conceptions, but as facts and hard truths. Can, in the SONA, is also used to express a theoretical possibility, in which case it gives a strong possibility for an event to materialize and/or
be actualized. The researcher must also mention that in almost all instances that can is used in the SONAs, it is used as a strong modal verb, and therefore used to make
strong and ‘high’ assertions, thereby corroborating Newson’s (2008) assertion that must, can, shall and will are strong modals in almost all their uses.
The negated form of can (cannot), conversely, is used in the SONA to express
8) The atomized jurisdictions in the metropolis cannot deal with problems that are collective in nature. The only answer is a metropolitan administration that will deliver basic services effectively to all of Metro Manila.
(Fidel V. Ramos)
9) But the government cannot do it alone. It cannot do it alone in customs, it cannot do it alone in fighting graft, it cannot do it alone in fighting poverty. I’m not a miracle worker. All of us must do our share. We have to think Filipino, buy Filipino, and invest Filipino. I invite the taipans and other business people all over the country to start pump-priming the economy by investing once again in the Philippines. I invite you to create jobs, accelerate progress, and thereby address the root causes of the crime and unrest that so much alarm us.
(Gloria M. Arroyo)
Need to, occurring 102 times in the SONAs (6.68 per cent), need to is used to
express necessity in all instances of its usage in SONAs. The examples below confirm this position.
10)At least six areas of economic management need to be subjected to further action and reform for the rest of 1985 and 1986.
To succeed at this, however, we need to be concerned about providing support to our armed forces, instead of denying it the wherewithal to fight the insurgency. Let us face the fact squarely that the reduction of the defense budget in 1983 and 1984 has done much to sap the potency of our programs.
(Ferdinand E. Marcos)
11)We do, however, have a dire need to improve our intelligence, logistics, and communication services. Given our limited resources, we must improve our ratio of patrols to contacts, and our capability to maximize such combat opportunities as present themselves.
(Corazon C. Aquino)
12)Alongside the monetary program, we need to improve the fiscal position of the Central Bank.
Must, a strong deontic modal auxiliary verb (Newson, 2008), must is used in the political speeches to express (strong) obligation and/or compulsion and logical necessity appearing 182 times or 11.93 percent. In the two constructions below, must is
used to express strong obligation.
13)We must curtail unnecessary expenditures and limit the period for active campaigning. I therefore propose legislation limiting the expenses of any candidate to four times the annual salary for the position to which he aspires.
14)We must remove the infirmities of the fundamental law. And perhaps, it is now time also to prevent the deadlocks in the Senate, by providing for an increase in its membership.
(Ferdinand E. Marcos)
15)Still our march towards nationhood must be undeterred and any threat to its progress will be countered with all the resources available to us, wielded with as much passion as self-preservation can muster.
16)To give the people greater power over their lives is the essence of democracy that we must strive to bring out completely.
(Corazon C. Aquino)
17)Our goal must be to attain a just, comprehensive, peaceful, and lasting resolution of the internal armed conflict that has cost the nation and our people so dearly.
18)We must awaken and energize all our regions—all our islands—all our provinces and cities and municipalities—to the possibilities of modernization. And we must tap the talent pool that still lies dormant in our 69 million people, the majority of whom are under 40 years of age. We must break the remaining concentration of economic and political power in a few—so that we can unleash the creativity, the resourcefulness, and the entrepreneurship in the many.
19)To succeed, the template of our national agenda must revolve around four components—apat na elemento ng pakikibaka sa kahirapan.
20) Peace and development are inseparable twins. But our framework must not compromise constitutionality, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
(Gloria M. Arroyo)
21) Confusion is not an option, and you must have a response for every question, suggestion, and criticism—and you must have all the answers even before the questions are asked. This is not an easy job, and I am only human, one who at times is also capable of feeling apprehension.
22) We also aim to complete the construction of 7,176 housing units in other areas by June of next year. I must ask for your understanding.
(Benigno S. Aquino III)
In 13), must is used to strongly assert that it is extremely needful, and therefore
obligatory to curtain unnecessary expenditures. Like 15) and 16), must is also used in 17) to vehemently opine that the government policy is obliged to address national
adversaries. In the SONAs, must is also used to express logical necessity as is demonstrated by the example in 21) and 22). In this example, the use of must relates to us the stance that it is logically necessary for a government in power to change to a
system that encourages strong institutions, rather than one that encourages strong men. Though a reasonable and a sensible idea, the current government, the example
suggests, has not been able to achieve this feat, perhaps, because they lack the mettle and expertise to or simply because the government might even not have recognized the need to effect such a change, albeit plausible. Hence once again, we see the readiness
and inventiveness, supposedly, of the current government – this is covertly intimated by the use of must in the example. The interest of the nation at heart and has even
Shall, in ten SONAs, is used 110 times, representing a percentage of 7.21. In all the instances of its usage, shall, invariably, expresses intention, thereby confirming Greenbaum’s (1996) postulation that of all the meanings that can be attributed to shall,
the intention function is widespread and most prevalent. The use of shall to express intention in the SONAS is illustrated below.
23)This administration is prepared to find the means for the implementation of land reform. If necessary, we shall consider the sale of government properties not immediately needed to realize the funds for the proposed Land Bank. The Agricultural Credit Administration must be reoriented to permit a total concentration of its resources on land reform cases.
24)Fifth, we shall revitalize the agricultural sector, which is envisioned to propel national recovery and sustain economic growth in the coming years.
(Ferdinand E. Marcos)
25)In the next six years, we shall have to pay $20.4 billion to our official and private creditors.
26)To this end, we shall continue to exhaust measures and avenues that will involve all our people in the task of moral and material reconstruction and national unity.
(Corazon C. Aquino)
27)At the end of my term, the question will no longer be whether we can compete but where else in the world shall we take an indisputable competitive advantage.
These intentions are pre-meditated, and hopefully the presidents would expect that such good intentions would get them into the public. Though the good intentions expressed by the SONAs in the examples above can be considered conjectured future
events, and therefore could pass off as indefinite intentions of futurity, it still stands to reason the intention of SONA by giving solid promises to assure public needs.
There are also instances where shall is used to express strong obligation, supporting Newson’s (2008) claim that shall is a strong modal verb. These instances are presented below.
28)There shall be created an Investment Office which shall furnish all the information that may be required by prospective investors, foreign or domestic. Such an office should be ready to recommend openings for investment and to help to extend all facilities in both the public and the private sectors to the entrepreneurs.
(Ferdinand E. Marcos)
29)I would also hope that our proposed revisions of the Tariff Code and the rationalization of the government corporate sector shall be among the Congress’ first concerns; these being two areas that I find require the common counsel of executive and legislature.
(Corazon C. Aquino)
30)I assure you we shall also be much more assertive in negotiating with our creditors to gain better terms.
31)We shall redeem in earnest the promise of land reform, a commitment that spans several presidents. Isa pa itong pangakong hindi dapat mapako.
(Gloria M. Arroyo)
Unlike in the previous examples of the use of shall, in 28), Ferdinand E. Marcos considers the establishment of an Investment Office that will furnish all the information that may be required by prospective investors, foreign or domestic. As a duty that office
should be ready to recommend investment and extend all facilities to both private and public.
Should is used 70 times (4.59 percent) in which case it is put to obligation and putative uses. These two uses are exemplified below.
32)Sixth, we shall strive to raise the efficiency of our public health services to a level which should meet the minimum requirements of our people.
33)We know too that in spite of all the hectoring from others about how democracy should develop in our land, we can only trust and listen to our experiences and our needs.
(Ferdinand E. Marcos)
Should is obligatorily and putatively used in 32) and 33) respectively, that every
Filipino people are entitled for a quality health services and democracy. As a worthwhile obligation every individual SHOULD aspire to and indeed desire strongly to have in 32), while in 33), the use of should expresses an ideal situation which is thought
to be or is supposed to be, but is not.
34)I should make it clear that the Kabisig, and the whole movement of people’s organizations that I have tried to encourage, will be campaigning hard for one candidate only—the Filipino people and no one else.
(Corazon C. Aquino)
35)Third, let us improve our institutional and professional capability for crime prevention and crime suspension at both national and local levels. These measures should include a stricter firearms control law and more effective actions by our peace and order councils.
(Fidel V. Ramos)
36)Taxes should come from alcohol and tobacco, and not from books. Tax hazards to lungs and livers, do not tax minds.
The victims of typhoon Frank in Panay should receive their long-overdue assistance package. I ask Congress to pass the SNITS Law.
(Gloria M. Arroyo)
37)Let us use ARMM as an example. Governor Mujiv Hataman has said that he could not remember a time in his life when Lanao del Sur did not suffer a failure of elections. We should note that this was the first time that the ARMM elections were synchronized with the national elections. This means that, in the past, the full force of the State was focused on just one region, and yet it still had to call for a failure of elections.
(Benigno S. Aquino III)
May (not) is used 66 times in the SONAs, representing a percentage of 4.33. In the SONAs, may (not) is used solely to express possibility and/or likelihood. The
examples below are extracts from the data, and they illustrate the possibility/likelihood function of may (not).
(Ferdinand E. Marcos)
39)The organized participation of the people in daily government may provide the stabilizing element that government has always lacked.
(Corazon C. Aquino)
40)The recent speculative attack on the peso may have been a blessing in disguise because it gave us Filipinos the opportunity to enhance the competitiveness of the Philippine peso.
(Fidel V. Ramos)
In 41, the use of may suggests that there is a high possibility that the recent
attack on the peso may have been a blessing in disguise; hence, gave the opportunity to Filipinos in enhancing competitiveness. Again, it is discernible that the attack on the
peso may have positive effect.
Would, although Newson (2008) posits that would is a weak modal verb like should, we found the opposite in this study – in all instances in which it is used in the
SONAs, would is used as a strong verb. Specifically, would is used to express willingness and intention.
41)I therefore recommend legislation which would prohibit any campaign activity such as the printing and distribution of any poster, advertisements for candidates, or activity of any candidate seeking insertion of such advertisements before such period allowed by law for campaigning.
42)This would enable the private sector to continue its dynamic role in our economic recovery in the context of a free enterprise economy.
This is a strong claim by Marcos that brings the event expressed in the proposition above to pass as legislation. Would is also used in the SONAs to express future intention. This function primarily conveys the presidents intended plans for the country. Examples in this regard are presented below.
43)I would also hope that our proposed revisions of the Tariff Code and the rationalization of the government corporate sector shall be among the Congress’ first concerns; these being two areas that I find require the common counsel of executive and legislature.
44)I would urge Congress therefore to consider one comprehensive “Government Reorganization Act” that will enable us to streamline the entire executive branch, including the Office of the President.
(Fidel V. Ramos)
45)Instead, let us recognize that we have a multiethnic society which should be founded on social justice for all and institutionalized accommodation of ethnic traditions. This would finally introduce a new culture in our nation’s attitude towards Mindanao.
(Gloria M. Arroyo)
46)I would also like to propose to Congress several laws that will help us sustain and improve on the reforms we have established.
(Benigno S. Aquino III)
In the examples above, some actual intentions of the presidents on SONAs are foregrounded by the use of the modal would. These futuristic intentions are likely to endear the presidents by the public, given their positive appeal.
Will in SONAs is the most preponderantly used modal verb, occurring 601 times (representing 39.38 percent). Similarly, in Gustilo (2011) study of modal auxiliaries in
Philippine English, it appears that will is also the most fashionable modal auxiliary verbs.
In the speech, there are several instances where will is used to express intention,
reinforcing Quirk et al.’s (1973) stance that will indicates an intention or a promise. Examples are presented below.
48)We will continue to use the persuasive powers of the Presidency to prevent the spiraling of prices in key sectors and products.
(Ferdinand E. Marcos)
Greenbaum (1996)’s postulation that will is used to convey certainty is also made evident severally in the SONAs – this function is illustrated below.
49)The current imports will beef up our buffer stocks for the lean months of July through September.
(Ferdinand E. Marcos)
50)Our premise is that, for as long as free market forces dictate the dynamics of the business environment, the private sector will respond aggressively.
51)Participatory democracy will end the practice of punishing provinces and municipalities for the wrong vote in the last poll. It will separate elections, where the people vote for their favorites, from the provision of public service which every Filipino has a right to expect from the government, regardless how he voted.
(Corazon C. Aquino)
Again in the SONAs, will is used to express determination, as is demonstrated by
the example below.
52)Through the budget, we shall pump-prime the economy; stimulate growth by focusing public investments on programs with the highest productive and economic returns; and provide social services and productivity programs that will empower the majority among us who are now without the means to lead decent and useful lives, particularly the farming, fishing, and labor sectors.
(Fidel V. Ramos)
53)We will pursue our fight against heinous crimes with greater vigor even as we continue to cleanse government of the scalawags and grafters within its ranks, whether in the executive, the legislative or judicial branch.
(Fidel V. Ramos)
54)To improve the quality of education as required by the new economy, we will increase the number of textbooks per student as well as the quality of instruction. This year all public school students will have textbooks for priority subjects in grades 1 to 4 and in the 1st and 2nd years of high school.
55)We will help more fisherfolk shift to fish farming with a budget of P1 billion. (Gloria M. Arroyo)
56)Apart from all these, the Jalaur River Project will create around 17,000 jobs; and once it becomes fully operational, an estimated 32,000 Filipinos will be given decent livelihoods. This project was first conceived in 1960—the same year I was born.
(Benigno S. Aquino III)
Given that will is a strong modal verb (Newson, 2008), it is used in the SONAs to express strong intentions, certainty, determination and promise as has been highlighted
in the foregoing paragraphs. Essentially, all the uses of will reinforce the exact objective of a political speech– to win the heart of the public. SONA is no exception to this rule;
hence, consistently, will is used in the speech to reassure the public of a better country. That the SONAs are preponderant with the modal will is not surprising. Indeed, it can be considered intentional and strategic given that by bombarding people with tons of
realistic promises, a political speech is likely to be given a chance by the public.
Conclusion
The main objective of the present study was to examine the semantics of modal auxiliary verbs in the first and last SONAs of the Philippine Presidents since the 1970s. Premised on the assumption that writers of political speeches do find modal auxiliary
cogently transmit the message that they want to conveyed to the public, we set out to show in this study that the use of modal auxiliary verbs in political speeches is neither haphazard nor coincidental. Instead, it is informed by reason of a specific
communicative intent. Given the results of the study, the following conclusions can be drawn. First, the nine modal auxiliary verbs identified in the SONAs have varying levels
of preponderance; will being the most frequently used. Second, the modal auxiliary verbs were strategically deployed and fastidiously instantiated to positively project the message, while at the same time highlight the supposed inefficiencies and
incompetence of the incumbent government. To this end, we affirm that modal auxiliary verbs have a persuasive connotation in political discourses, in general, and in political
speeches, in particular. Third, the findings of the study show that modal auxiliary verbs do not have definitive meanings; rather, they are appropriately decoded in a given context and are informed by certain germane situational factors, including type of
register. These findings bear implications for pedagogy, the theory of modality, text construction and/or composition and further discourse analytical studies on political
speeches, in general, and political speeches, in particular. From the discussion above coupled with the fact that this study covered only the five recent presidents of the Philippines and their first and last SONAs it is suggested that:
First, similar studies can, for instance, be conducted on the SONAs of other Presidents in order to ascertain the extent to which the findings of the present study can
should be possible for future studies to compare Philippine presidents SONAs with the state of the nation address of presidents in our neighboring Asian countries. Finally, the present study examined modality in the SONAs from a general perspective. It would be
useful to investigate the specific type of modal (for example, epistemic, deontic or dynamic) that is prevalent in political speeches and the possible reason(s) behind such
prevalence.
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