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On the Pragmatic Functions of Hedges in Public Speeches

Author(s)

Guizhi Zhang*, Siyu Wu

Affiliation(s)

Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan, China *Corresponding Author.

Abstract

Fuzzy language is widely used in human communication, and as the most common and typical form of fuzzy language, hedges are a major linguistic strategy. From both theoretical and practical perspectives, this paper analyzes the pragmatic functions of the text taken from Barack Obama’s public speech with the discourse analysis approach based on the pragmatic theory. Firstly, the definition, classification and semantic features of hedges are elaborated; secondly, a brief introduction to public speeches is given; finally, the pragmatic functions of hedges in public speeches are analyzed in detail. The conclusion is that with the proper use of hedges, public speakers can make their words more credible and polite, so as to avoid unnecessary responsibility or criticism and to achieve their speech goals better.

Keywords

Hedges; Pragmatic Function; Public Speech

References

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