Expression of Probable Modality in Modern Political Discourse: Ranking and Peculiarities of Expression

The article studies a multilevel interpretation of expressions with modal meaning of probability. Two aspects are taken into account: 1) expression of probable meaning and a number of options, that is a consequence of modal shifts, creation of contaminated (probable and accompanying) modal meanings due to situational and pragmatic conditions of communication; 2) study of probable modality in the discourse-centric aspect, with an emphasis on specific situations of communication of politicians, their communicative intention, purpose of communication, etc. These qualification principles made it possible to indicate a high level of subjectivity of the expressions of the analyzed modal plan, their ability to characterize the entire structure and information presented in it in general and the implementation of the semantics of possibility, probability, assumption and doubt. Orientation to the semantic and pragmatic load of expression of a probable modal plan led to their unification into two groups with meanings: 1) probabilities, which explain the different level of assumption of the speaker about a certain fact; 2) contaminated probability, which combines several modal meanings, in particular: a) probability and debitive; b) probability and negative; c) probable and interrogative modality (usually these are rhetorical questions that reveal a weakening of interrogative intention); d) probable, interrogative and hidden, somewhat discolored imperative; e) probable, negative and emotional-evaluative modalities. During the analysis of these constructions the attention is focused on their emotional and expressive coloring, which is mostly negative. It is found that the marking of expressions of probable modality is associated with different language levels. It is studied that verbs (вагатися, видаватися, здаватися, припускати, сумніватися), verbalized adjectives (невпевнений, непевний), modal adverbs (здається, мабуть, можливо, etc.), particles (навряд чи, наче, неначе, неначебтo, etc.) are specialized on this function.