Elastic Language

Elastic language carries non-specific and stretchable meaning, as in 'He loves her, kind of'. It is used like a slingshot, targeting various strategic goals. Consolidating current research and charting new directions, this book develops a refreshing theory of elasticity, empirically attested by natural language data from tension-prone encounters between Australian Customs officers and passengers. The theory proposes three principles (fluidity, stretchability and strategy) and offers a systematic look at how elastic language, as a sliding scale, works to balance strengthening and weakening speech tones, to firm and soften a speaker's stance, and to reveal and evade the truth. The comparative analysis of forms, functions, and context confirms that elastic language is fluid, stretchable, and strategic. It serves both cooperative and competitive functions, and social and speech factors impact on its use. This book will appeal to students and researchers working in pragmatics, applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, and communication.

Author: Grace Zhang
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 08/27/2015
Pages: 260
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.14lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.63d
ISBN: 9781107028449

About the Author
Zhang, Grace Q.: - Grace Q. Zhang is an Associate Professor at Curtin University of Technology, Perth. She was awarded a Ph.D. in linguistics by the University of Edinburgh in 1996, and has published extensively on elastic/vague language.