Epistemic modulations and speakers stance in Cantonese conversations

Winnie CHOR*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingConference proceedingpeer-review

Abstract

Based on data obtained from 20 interview recordings that involve descriptions of pictures of different attractions, this paper examines how native speakers of Cantonese use different strategies, in particular grammatical strategies, to modulate (i.e. upgrade or downgrade) the epistemic strength of their claims when they are challenged or disaffirmed by their addressee(s) in an interactional context. Our analysis reveals that speakers make use of four categories of strategies to modulate their assertions, including i) epistemic modals (e.g. jing1goi1 ‘should’, ho2nang4 ‘might’), and adverbials (e.g. kei4sat6 ‘in fact’, si6sat6soeng6 ‘in fact’, tung1soeng4 ‘usually’), ii) evidentials which are explicit (e.g. ngo5 gu2 ‘I guess’) or implicit (e.g. hou2ci3 ‘seems’, jau5 ho2nang4 ‘likely’), iii) sentence final particles with weak epistemic strength (e.g. ge2, gwaa3, za1maa3) or strong epistemic strength (e.g. wo3, gaa3), iv) discourse-pragmatic strategies (e.g. to keep silent, to provide a reason, as well as the use of redressive language).
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe 45th Australian Linguistic Society Conference Proceedings – 2014
EditorsMark Harvey , Alexis Antonia
PublisherUniversity of Newcastle
Pages104-130
Number of pages27
ISBN (Print)0994150709, 9780994150707
Publication statusPublished - 10 Dec 2014
EventThe 45th Australian Linguistic Society Conference 2014 -
Duration: 10 Dec 201412 Dec 2014

Conference

ConferenceThe 45th Australian Linguistic Society Conference 2014
Period10/12/1412/12/14

User-Defined Keywords

  • evidentiality
  • epistemicity
  • stance-marking
  • Cantonese

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