Sort of in Australian English: The elasticity of a pragmatic marker

Journal article


Mulder, Jean, Penry Williams, Cara and Moore, Erin E. F. 2019. Sort of in Australian English: The elasticity of a pragmatic marker. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication. https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00019.mul
AuthorsMulder, 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.

Keywordssort of; pragmatic marker; Australian English; Pragmatic function; television discourse
Year2019
JournalJournal of Asian Pacific Communication
PublisherJohn Benjamins
ISSN09576851
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 datesMay 2019
Publication process dates
Deposited24 May 2019, 14:40
AcceptedMay 2018
ContributorsUniversity 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)
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