Darbības vārda varēt lietojums vēlējuma izteiksmē Saeimas sēžu stenogrammu korpusā
The use of verb varēt ‘can’ in conditional mood in the Corpus of the Saeima

Summary/Abstract: The focus of the study is on Latvian modal verb varēt ‘can, may’ and its use in conditional mood. The source of research consists of verbatim reports from the Corpus of the Saeima (parliament of Latvia). The analysis of modal verb varēt ‘can, may’ in conditional mood is based on determination of modal meanings and interpretation of the motivation behind the use of it. The analysis of examples shows that the use of modal verb varēt in the conditional mood indicates the text author’s uncertainty, precaution and non-insistence, therefore expressing a weaker possibility. In a different situative context, verb varēt in the conditional mood can also express a suggestion of the addressee that sometimes could be considered as a command, and imperative could be used instead, whereas the analysis of examples shows that the conditional mood of varēt makes the command more indirect, polite and diplomatic. It is possible to conclude that the use of modal verb varēt in the conditional mood is connected with politeness strategies, enabling the author to keep or create a certain self-image.

• Details
• Contents