RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Mulder, Jean A1 Penry Williams, Cara A1 Moore, Erin YR 2019 T1 Sort of in Australian English: The elasticity of a pragmatic marker JF Journal of Asian Pacific Communication VO 29 IS 1 SP 9 OP 32 DO https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00019.mul PB John Benjamins SN 0957-6851, AB Abstract

This study examines the pragmatic functions of sort of in Australian English (AuE), utilising discourse from 12 months of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s television program Q&A. It explores the frequency of sort of uses in context with a focus on multifunctionality. Uses are classified in a data-based schema which synthesises the previously described pragmatic functions of sort of and locates these within Zhang’s (2015) Elastic Language framework. The article thus provides an understanding of the pragmatic functions of sort of in public discussion contexts within AuE, arguing, most notably, that sort of performs five of Zhang’s six functions, rather than just the two previously reported, and that in accounting for the complex uses of this pragmatic marker, a wider range of subtypes needs to be distinguished within two of the functions., UL https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/japc.00019.mul