“I am not criticizing you”

A constructionist analysis of an indirect speech act

Bibliographic Data

ID23024547
AuthorsJun Lang (0000-0003-3572-4677, University of Oregon, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume9
Issue2
Pages184-208
Publication date2018-12-13
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueChinese Language and Discourse An International and Interdisciplinary Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1877-7031 • E-ISSN: 1877-8798
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1075/cld.00010.lan
OpenAlexW2904008524
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited19

This study examines a Chinese indirect speech act conventionally expressed with what I call the construction of earnest advice . From a constructionist perspective, I posit that the construction of earnest advice is an indirect speech act construction. Its idiosyncratic form is paired with the function of showing genuine concern and providing advice in the best interest of the hearer. Based on corpus evidence and discourse analysis, I analyze the contextually situated subtypes of this function, including passing judgments, providing suggestions, issuing complaints and mock sarcasms. The use of the contextual subtypes depends on interpersonal factors such as social distance, power difference, and group membership. This study has implications for politeness theories.

Advice (programming) · Function (biology) · Interpersonal communication · Linguistics · Perspective (graphical) · Politeness · Political science · Power (physics) · Situated · Social constructionism · Social science · Sociology · Speech act · Strict constructionism · Computer Science · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology

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