An Adaptation-based Approach To Hedges In English Interview Programs

The research object of the present study is the deliberate use of hedges in interview conversations.Based on many previous studies,the present study takes Verschueren's Linguistic Adaptation Theory(Verschueren,2000) as the framework and makes both quantitative and qualitative studies of interview conversations in 23 editions of CNN's influential interview program Larry King Live in order to reveal the dynamic nature of the employment of hedges in terms of its variability and adaptability.The dissertation mainly probes into three questions:the conceptual framework of the present study,namely,the generation mechanism of hedges in interview conversations,the realization forms of hedges in interview conversations and the contextual factors that determine the use of hedges as a communicative strategy in interview conversations.The present study starts with the generation mechanism of the employment of hedges in interview conversations and assumes that it is the result of adapting to various contextual correlates.As a communicative strategy,hedges have many different forms of linguistic realizations,such as lexical words,phrases and passive voice.The speaker chooses the appropriate hedge or hedges to satisfy his/her communicative needs.The study shows that the speaker's deliberate employment of hedges as a communicative strategy in interview conversations is the result of adapting to many contextual correlates,which consists of adapting to interview settings,adapting to the mental world,including various motivations and emotions,and adapting to power relations in the interview.It is hoped that the present study can verify the explanatory power of Verschueren's Linguistic Adaptation Theory for language use through the vivid employment of hedges and practically uncover how the speaker achieves desirable communicative goals by choosing appropriate language in interview programs.