Thai EFL Learners’ Repertoire of English Modality in Academic and Electronic Bulletin Board Writing

Abstract

Modality is central to language use, allowing expression of, for example, doubt, certainty and vagueness. It has been reported, however, that the use of modality is limited among L2 learners of English, one possible reason being that classroom activities do not encourage them to express themselves in this way. This study aimed to compare student use of modality in online bulletin boards and in academic essays. The findings reveal that students use more modal markers in online bulletin board writing than in academic writing.