The Use of the Modal Auxiliaries“Ying應”and“Xu 須”: A Case of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Abstract

The auxiliary verbs 'Ying應” and “Xu須' indicate a command. The person who issues an order normally has absolute authority while the one who receives it should carry it out. These two modal auxiliaries, which are commonly used in regulations and ordinances, convey an imperative tone. While they are almost identical in meaning, they connote different degrees of sternness in different contexts. But such differences may not be immediately recognizable. For example, the change from ' Ying應” and “Xu須” Xu during the drafting of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) implies that the draftsmen have noticed the subtle differences between these two words. This paper attempts to study, from a lexical perspective, the evolution of these two terms with special reference to the Basic Law.