Hedge expression
A hedge expression (also linguistic hedge ) is an adverbial or adjectival phrase with which the speaker makes a statement about the extent to which he assigns certain things to a category. This representativeness scale goes from “X is a kind of Y” to “X is Y par excellence” . The sentence "X is Y par excellence" denotes X as a typical representative ( prototype ) of category Y, while the phrase "X is a kind of Y" indicates a peripheral representative ( hysterotype ) of category Y:
"The sparrow is a bird par excellence" vs.
"The penguin is a kind of bird"
Both the sparrow and the penguin belong to the zoological group of birds . For the inhabitants of the northern hemisphere , the sparrow is one of the most well-known bird species, while the penguin reminds them least of a common bird. Not only does it live on the other half of the world, but its plumage can only be seen on closer inspection, and it is mostly in the water . If he jumps out of the water at 35 km / h, an untrained eye will mistake him for a dolphin .
In relation to a language and the associated cultural area , it can thus be statistically ascertained to what extent categorizations are possible and useful. So it would be contradictory to say in German “The oak is a deciduous tree in the broadest sense” , since the oak is considered a typical deciduous tree in Germany .
Because of their ambiguity, hedge expressions in principle contradict conversation maxims , since the statements must be viewed relative to a specific cultural background.
Examples
- typical
- strange
- in the strict / narrow / broader sense
- From a zoological point of view , a penguin is a bird
- A whale is actually a mammal
- Strictly speaking , rhubarb is a vegetable
- Loosely speaking , a telephone is a piece of furniture
swell
- Hadumod Bußmann (Ed.) With the collaboration of Hartmut Lauffer: Lexikon der Sprachwissenschaft. 4th, revised and bibliographically supplemented edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-520-45204-7 .
- Helmut Glück (Ed.), With the collaboration of Friederike Schmöe : Metzler Lexikon Sprache. 4th edition, Verlag JB Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2010. ISBN 3-476-02335-4 .
- George Lakoff : Hedges. A Study in Meaning Criteria and the Logic of Fuzzy Concepts . 1972, pp. 183-228
- George Lakoff: Hedges and Meaning Criteria . In: RI McDavid, AR Duckert: Lexicography in English . 1973, pp. 144-153
- Urania Tierreich, Vol. 3, 1996, pp. 27f.
- Wikipedia article House Sparrow
literature
- Gudrun Clemen: Hedges in German and English texts in business communication: a contrastive analysis . Dissertation, University of Siegen 1998 ( full text )
