The dividing question as a hedging tool in the dialogues of the British working class

Abstract

The subject of the study is the dividing issues-hedges in the speech of the British working class. The purpose of the work is to determine the features of their functioning as a means of speech fencing (hedging). The main communicative tasks for which representatives of the British working class resort to using the structure of the dividing question in order to hedge their statements are identified: expression of opinion, criticism, statement of fact, assumption, proposal, demand, request for information and intention. A number of patterns have also been identified when using ascending or descending nuclear tones in the second half of the dividing questions used as hedges. The material of the study is the dialogues of the characters, representatives of the modern London working class, of the movie "Sorry We Missed You" (2019, directed by K. Loach) in the original language.  The work uses linguistic and contextual analysis in order to classify the research material. Audit and electroacoustic analysis of statements were also carried out using the Praat program. The novelty of the study lies in the choice of material and subject of the study: the film "Sorry We Missed You" has not been considered by linguists as a material for analyzing the rhythmic dynamics of English speech, and the features of hedging in communication of the British working class remain extremely poorly studied. The study showed that hedging, allowing communicants to maintain each other's personal boundaries, is not always a means of making a statement polite, as it is often used even in conflict situations. The emotional state of the addressee does not reduce the need to apply a speech separation strategy (including using the structure of the dividing question), but it affects its rhythmic and melodic design. Other important factors in choosing the intonation of hedges are the desire to continue or end the conversation, as well as the gender of the speaker.