A study of hedging devices in conversations in Gone with the wind by Margaret Mitchell

A study of hedging devices in conversations in
Gone with the wind by Margaret Mitchell
Nghiên cứu các phương tiện rào đón trong các
cuộc hội thoại của tác phẩm Cuốn theo chiều
gió của nhà văn Margaret Mitchell

Nguyễn Thị Thanh Huyền

University of Languages and International Studies
M.A. Thesis. Linguistics: 60 22 15
Supervisor : Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trần Xuân Điệp
Năm bảo vệ: 2012

Abstract. The objectives of the research were to investigate the linguistic devices of
hedges and major pragmatic functions of identified hedges in the conversations in the
novel of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Two levels of linguistic
descriptions – the quantitative and pragmatic analysis mainly based on taxonomy of
hedging devices by Yu (2009) and polypragmatic paradigm of hedges by Hyland
(1998) – revealed that there are four main hedging categories used in the conversations
in the novel, namely, modal hedges, performative hedges, quantificational hedges and
pragmatic-marker hedges, in which quantificational hedges (43.8%) are employed
with the highest frequency, followed by modal hedges (34.8%), performative hedges
(8.2%) and other minor types of tag questions, subjunctives, and depersonalization
(5.7%). The research findings also pointed out that speaker-orientation, accuracy-
orientation and hearer-orientation are three main functions that identified hedging
devices fulfill. Among these types of function, speaker-oriented hedges (48.1%)
emerge to be the most prominent, preceding accuracy-oriented hedges (45.7%) and
hearer-oriented hedges (6.2%).
Keywords. Tiếng Anh; Hội thoại; Ngôn ngữ
Content.
The study is designed to include three main parts.

Part 1: Introduction, presenting the research rationale, aims of the study, research
questions, implications of the research, study scope, methodology and the
structure of the paper.
Part 2: Development
Chapter1: Theoretical Background, including definitions of hedge, hedging
taxonomies, relationship between hedges and conversational maxims and
politeness strategies, and general information on Gone with the Wind.
Chapter 2: Findings and Discussions, describing major hedging devices, their
linguistic realization and pragmatic functions in Gone with the Wind.
Part 3: Conclusion, summarizing the major points, limitations, and suggestions for
further studies.
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