Journal of Asian Pacific Communication - Volume 29, Issue 1, 2019

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.

Abstract

Sort of is a pragmatic particle with a range of functions in different contexts. There are different factors which can contribute to its varied functions. Focusing on the media discourse, this study investigates the frequency and pragmatic functions of sort of in New Zealand English. Based on the analysis of the data from a current affairs TV program, the study shows that sort of is a pragmatic particle under-used in this discourse type. The analysis of its pragmatic functions demonstrates that right amount of information and mitigation fulfill a substantial proportion of sort of functions. The other two functions, avoidance and discourse management, are less frequent, but still perform important roles in effective media communication.

Abstract

This study discusses the pragmatic functions of four Chinese equivalents of the English ‘sort of’ based on a Chinese TV forum corpus: youdian (有点), yidian (一点), youyidian (有一点), keyishuo (可以说). It finds that the Chinese ‘sort of’ tends to cluster with verbs or adjectives rather than nouns. ‘Sort of’ is infrequent in the formal setting of this study and serves three pragmatic functions: mitigation, approximation and evasion, with the first two functions being much more frequent than the last one. ‘Sort of’ performs more of an interpersonal than an informational function. This study highlights the elasticity of ‘sort of’ in Mandarin Chinese in the form of fluidity, stretchability and strategy, contributing a fresh account of pragmatic markers. This study implies that elastic language use is a natural part of linguistic competence (particularly pragmatic competence) and forms a strong bond with effective linguistic communication.

Abstract

It goes without saying that as a pragmatic phenomenon, vagueness has over the past few years been a topic of extensive research. However, a huge gap still exists when it comes to the investigation of how vagueness is expressed across different languages and cultures. In the present study, we have put under scrutiny the pragmatic functions of ‘sort of’, a vague expression, in Persian conversation with a view to making cross-linguistic comparisons between different languages possible. Besides confirming the fact that the vague item ‘sort of’ enables interactants to fulfil a wide variety of functions in interactional settings, particularly in face-to-face interactions, the current study reveals that the expression in question can also serve to signal ‘a moment of awkwardness’ as well as the presence of ‘inferable information’. With the former function, ‘sort of’ signals that the speaker is experiencing a feeling of inconvenience and embarrassment. When used as an inferable information signal, however, ‘sort of’ indicates that the utterance has been inferred from the previous or current exchange.

Abstract

Expressing vagueness is a common phenomenon especially in spoken discourse. The present paper examines vague language ‘sort of’ (e.g., kayak gitu) realised in spoken discourse in Indonesian. It accounts for the pragmatic functions of ‘sort of’ examined in their discourse context. The data under investigation include a 24-hour corpus of a television talk-show discussing various social issues. A pragmatic qualitative data analysis is predominantly employed directed towards a functional analysis of the use of ‘sort of’. Descriptive statistics accompany the qualitative analysis to reinforce the investigation. The quantitative analysis shows that ‘sort of’ was infrequently used in the context of Indonesian television discourse. The corpus displays various forms of lexical devices for ‘sort of’ in Indonesian. The pragmatic analysis shows that ‘sort of’ was employed as a politeness strategy to tone down strong linguistic expressions and to save the speaker’s positive face. The infrequent use of ‘sort of’ in the discourse type under investigation in this study reinforces the notion that ‘sort of’ is a feature of informal interaction.

This article reviews Politeness, Impoliteness and Ritual: Maintaining the Moral Order in Interpersonal Interaction978-1-107-05218-5.

This article reviews Pragmatic Markers, Discourse Markers and Modal Particles978 90 272 5951 6.