ABSTRACT
In chapter 4, epistemic modals—those words that speakers use to make judgments about the possibility of situations—were introduced. The modal auxiliaries, as well as verbs and adverbs that serve as epistemic modals, were explained. It was argued that the two different groups of speakers in this study—Anglos and Chicanos— seem to have different priorities when it comes to a choice between adhering to the cooperative principle’s maxim of quality (“be truthful”) and expressing negative politeness, a strategy that violates the principle. The strong preference for negative politeness, as expressed through epistemic modal use among the Anglo participants in this study, was argued not only to lead to conversational cross-purposes and even mistrust between members of the two groups but also perhaps to perpetuate a power differential between the larger, dominant society (as represented by the Anglo participants) and the Chicano participants in this study, the residents of Lemon Grove.
