A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF MODALITY IN THE VIETNAMESE LAW ON ENTERPRISES AND THE SINGAPORE COMPANIES ACT FROM SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This paper conducts a contrastive analysis of Modality in the Vietnamese Law on Enterprises and the Singapore Companies Act from Systemic Functional Grammar. Specifically, the article analyses Modalization and Modulation in terms of Probability, Usuality, Obligation and Inclination. The study showed that both Modalization and Modulation have been employed in order to realize Modality system in two surveyed legal texts. Additionally, both legal texts employed the large number of Finite modal operators to realize Obligation in Modulation. However, the Singapore Companies Act tends to employ more Finite modal operators when expressing Modality. Besides, the Vietnamese Law on Enterprises employed more high modal operators in expression of Obligation than the Singapore Companies Act.