Sort of in Australian English: The elasticity of a pragmatic marker
Journal article
Authors | Mulder, Jean, Penry Williams, Cara and Moore, Erin E. F. |
---|---|
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. |
Keywords | sort of; pragmatic marker; Australian English; Pragmatic function; television discourse |
Year | 2019 |
Journal | Journal of Asian Pacific Communication |
Publisher | John Benjamins |
ISSN | 09576851 |
15699838 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00019.mul |
Web address (URL) | http://hdl.handle.net/10545/623777 |
hdl:10545/623777 | |
Publication dates | May 2019 |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 24 May 2019, 14:40 |
Accepted | May 2018 |
Contributors | University of Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) (JM), La Trobe University (Victoria, Australia) (CPW), University of Derby (CPW) and University of New South Wales, Canberra (A.C.T, Australia) (EEFM) |
File | File Access Level Open |
https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/92753/sort-of-in-australian-english-the-elasticity-of-a-pragmatic-marker
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