A Study Of Hedges In American Sitcom How I Met Your Mother From The Perspective Of Politeness Principle

Fuzziness is a basic attribute of natural language,and an indispensable part of human communication.It plays an important role in promoting interpersonal communications.Hedges are a very important part of fuzzy language,and exist in many languages.How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom,which weaves around the daily life among Ted,Robin,Marshall,Lily,and Barney in the United States.The sitcom is full of authentic and humorous dialogues in American English,and is a great representative in the pragmatic study of English language.In this thesis,based on the classification of L.A.Zadeh and Zhou Hong,the author divides hedges into six categories according to part of speech,namely nominal hedges,verbal hedges,adjective hedges,numeral hedges,adverbial hedges and conjunctive hedges.Moreover,the frequency of these six kinds of hedges in the sitcom is calculated by the software Ant Conc 3.4.4.From the perspective of Politeness Principle,this thesis makes detailed descriptions on typical spoken conversations about six different classifications of hedges,and analyzes the usage situations and pragmatic functions of each linguistic data.Through the research,the author has the following discoveries: First,the sitcom How I Met Your Mother uses a lot of hedges.Adverbial hedges have the highest frequency of use,and the following are verbal hedges,adjective hedges,numeral hedges,conjunctive hedges.Nominal hedges have the lowest frequency of use.Second,when speakers communicate by using different classifications of hedges,they can express their views implicitly.They can reduce the harm to listeners,and increase listeners' choices.In this way,a harmonious communication atmosphere could be created.Third,in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother,when speakers usehedges to expound their views,they can play an supporting role in the expression of Politeness Principle.The thesis aims to let English lovers have a better understanding in the usage conditions and significance of hedges.It also guides the reasonable use of hedges in daily activities,and makes interpersonal relationships more harmonious.