Understatements and hedges in English
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Understatements and hedges in English
（Pragmatics & beyond : an interdisciplinary series of language studies, IV:6）
J. Benjamins, 1983
- : u.s.
- : european
Related Bibliography 1 items
Available at 88 libraries
Note
Revision and translation of thesis (Habilitation)--University of Duisburg, 1981
Bibliography: p. [183]-192
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The goal of this monograph is a comprehensive analysis of understatements and other forms of non-direct speech (hedges) in modern English. It is based on a multi-level approach, including philosophical, cultural, and socio-psychological arguments. The main part consists of an investigation of the linguistic restrictions for understatements and hedges to be formed by means of the following grammatical categories: negation of predicates, gradation of predicates, modalization of affirmative sentences by means of parenthetical verbs, modal adverbs, modal verbs, and questions.
Table of Contents
- 1. Preface
- 2. 0. Introduction
- 3. 1. Guidelines to Understatements and Hedges
- 4. 1.1. The sentence and its negatability
- 5. 1.2. Liability constraints of the sentence
- 6. 1.3. Working definition and working perspective
- 7. 2. Phrastic Indetermination as a Device for Forming Understatements
- 8. 2.1. Negation of predicates
- 9. 2.2. Detensification of predicates by grading adverbs
- 10. 3. Neustic Indetermination as a Device for Forming Hedges
- 11. 3.1. Factivity and modality
- 12. 3.2. Questions
- 13. 3.3. Modalized assertory assertions
- 14. 3.4. Summary
- 15. 4. Communicative Conditions for Understatements and Hedges
- 16. 4.1. Another look at negatability of sentences
- 17. 4.2. Communication as a possible threat to face
- 18. 4.3. Understatements and hedges as face saving strategies
- 19. 4.4. Face threatening acts and face saving strategies exemplified by praise and criticism
- 20. 4.5. Summary
- 21. Footnotes
- 22. References
by "Nielsen BookData"