Die Rolle der Heckenausdrücke bei der Diskursstrukturierung im Deutschen und Litauischen
The Role of Hedges in Discourse Structuring in German and Lithuanian

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the role o fhedges in organising discourse structure. A comparative analysis of speeches by German and Lithuanian politicians reveals the significance o fhedges as elements of discourse. Attention is paid, first of all, to thematicisation and argumentation strategies as well as to metalinguistic comments in which hedges perform several linguistic functions. They lend emphasis to an utterance, help the speaker distance himself from it, or allow him to present it as reflecting his own subjective point ofview. The results ofthe analysis are grouped according to the pragmatic func¬tions hegdes may perform (evaluation, emphasis, distancing, degree oflikelihood, metalinguistic).

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