ABSTRACT
Chapter 7 compares SCMP hard new stories, editorials and feature articles in the use of epistemic evaluation (i.e. certainty and doubt markers). The discussion naturally gravitates towards editorials which have the most latitude for authorial subjectivity and evaluation. This chapter amply shows that in addition to softening or strengthening what is said, certainty and doubt markers also serve other important discourse functions, notably attributing information and organizing the discourse. Section 7.2 compares SCMP hard news stories, editorials and feature articles in the distribution of certainty markers. Section 7.3 compares the three newspaper genres in the distribution of doubt markers. Both sections show that because of their persuasive/argumentative nature, editorials employ the most extensive and varied use of certainty and doubt markers. Sections 7.2 and 7.3 also throw up some surprising findings which differ from those in previous studies. Section 7.4 considers differences across the three newspaper genres in the use of certainty and doubt markers as attributive and dialogic resources. Section 7.5 shows that certainty and doubt markers go beyond the mere function of modifying statements to structure the discourse, which can be achieved in different ways.
