Author(s)

Wang Shuangye ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Capital Normal University, Beijing, China

Corresponding Author

Wang Shuangye

ABSTRACT

The current study is a corpus-based analysis of the use of hedges in spoken discourse by Chinese English majors and native speakers. It examines the frequency and type distributions utilized by the two groups as well as the pragmatic functions of hedges, so as to explore whether Chinese EFL learners at higher proficiency levels can achieve native-like use of hedges and whether distinctions exist between the use of hedges by Chinese English majors and native speakers. The findings imply that, with the exception of attribution shields, Chinese English majors utilize hedges in spoken discourse at a higher rate than native speakers. To some extent, Chinese English learners can achieve native-like use of hedges in spoken language. However, when it comes to the use of shields, Chinese English majors diverge significantly from native speakers. The study contributes to the development of hedges in China and has pedagogical implications for second language teaching and learning.

KEYWORDS

Corpus, pragmatics, hedges, Chinese English majors, spoken discourse

CITE THIS PAPER

Wang Shuangye, Use of Hedges in Spoken Discourse—A Corpus-Based Contrastive Study between Chinese English Majors and Native Speakers. Curriculum and Teaching Methodology (2024) Vol. 7: 147-159. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/curtm.2024.070623.

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