Langue française - Année 2004 - Volume 142 - Numéro 1 - Pages 7-16This paper focuses on interpretation of statements such as Il me fallait de la menthe when understood as a specific way to represent the viewpoint Il me faut de la menthe — the use of one tense instead of another marking the speaker's attitude. In this approach, all statements are seen as discursive representations; modalisation itself is defined as a relationship between two discursive representations, one of them being a given viewpoint and the other one combining that viewpoint with the expression of the speaker's attitude towards it. A possible classification of such devices - based on the linguistic features of the statements - is also discussed. 10 pages Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.