Speculative Language in Drama: A Pragmatic Perspective of Lexical Hedges in Shaw’s Arms and the Man and Man and Superman | ||||
| مجلة کلية الأداب - جامعة السويس | ||||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 22 February 2025 | ||||
| Document Type: المقالة الأصلية | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/jfask.2025.354337.1197 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Author | ||||
Iman Raouf Muhammad  
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| Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts, Port Said University, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| This study addresses speculative language in drama. It identifies the devices, strategies, functions and purposes of lexical hedging employed in Shaw’s Arms and the Man and Man and Superman. To achieve this aim, it adopts an eclectic model integrating three taxonomies, namely those of Salager-Meyer (1997), Varttala (2001) and Fraser (2010). Through blending qualitative and quantitative methods, the data analysis shows that nine lexical forms of hedges are found in each play, and the most frequently employed device is the modal auxiliary. These devices are used as strategies of avoidance, depersonalization, downtoning, indetermination, irony, persuasion, politeness, and subjectivization. The analysis highlights their different functions as well as their descriptive, dramatic and thematic purposes. The results indicate that hedging reflects, to a great extent, Shaw’s reliability in creating his drama, and reveals how he invites readers to take part in his philosophical debates, leading them into an endless loop of tentativeness. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| speculative language; lexical hedges; hedging strategies; Man and Superman; Arms and the Man | ||||
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