Cover not available
Article published In:
International Journal of Chinese Linguistics
Vol. 9:2 (2022) ► pp.304–328

A discourse-pragmatic functional study of Chinese epistemic markers haoxiang “seem” and keneng “probably”

| Carthage College

This study investigates the discourse-pragmatic functions of the epistemic markers haoxiang “seem” and keneng “probably” in natural conversations of Mandarin Chinese. By examining 107 cases of haoxiang and 152 cases of keneng in sequential contexts, it demonstrates that both haoxiang and keneng are hedge expressions showing the speaker’s attitude of lack of commitment to the truthfulness of their own utterance, which is often driven by an intersubjective motivation.

As epistemic markers, haoxiang tends to mitigate informational certainty that is based on the speaker’s personal but vague experience, while keneng is often used to mitigate the assertiveness of the speaker’s personal speculation deduced from background knowledge, general knowledge or commonly accepted logic.

Further, this study claims that both haoxiang and keneng often serve as politeness devices to mitigate various Face Threatening Acts (FTAs) such as disconfirmation, disagreement or negative assessment. In either case, haoxiang and keneng are not merely epistemic markers revealing the speaker’s subjective uncertainty, but also serve as politeness markers for the purpose of intersubjectivity, and their multiple discourse-pragmatic usages are rooted in their semantic meanings, respectively.

Keywords: epistemic, uncertainty, politeness, mitigator, intersubjectivity
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Epistemic modality
    • 1.2Epistemic markers in Mandarin Chinese
    • 1.3Previous studies of haoxiang and keneng
  • 2.Data
  • 3.The epistemic functions of haoxiang and keneng
    • 3.1Epistemic usages of haoxiang
    • 3.2Epistemic usages of keneng
    • 3.3Comparison of the epistemic usages of haoxiang and keneng
  • 4. Haoxiang and keneng as politeness markers
    • 4.1 Haoxiang as a politeness marker
    • 4.2 Keneng as a politeness marker
    • 4.3 Haoxiang used in self-praise
    • 4.4The derivation of the functions of haoxiang and keneng
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 6 December 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijchl.20014.wan
References
Ai, H.
(2012) The expression of stance in Mandarin Chinese: A corpus-based study of stance adverbs. Int. J. Asian Lang. Process., 221, 1–14.Google Scholar
Brown, P. & Levinson, S. C.
(1987) Politeness. Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Du Bois, J. W.
(2007) The Stance Triangle. In R. Englebretson (Ed.), Stancetaking in Discourse: Subjectivity, Evaluation, Interaction (pp. 139–182). John Benjamins Publishing Company. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Englebretson, R.
(2007) Stancetaking in discourse: Subjectivity, evaluation, interaction. John Benjamins Publishing. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Endo, T.
(2010) Expressing stance in Mandarin conversation: epistemic and non-epistemic uses of wo juede. University of California.Google Scholar
Fitzmaurice, S.
(2004) Subjectivity, intersubjectivity and the historical construction of interlocutor stance: from stance markers to discourse markers. Discourse Studies, 6(4):427–448. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gao, Q.
(2012) Interpersonal Functions of Epistemic Modality in Academic English Writing. Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics, 35 (3):352–364. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gillespie, A. and Cornish, F.
(2010) Intersubjectivity: towards a dialogical analysis. Journal for the theory of Social Behaviours, 40 (1):19–46. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
He, Y. and H. Wang
(2013) A Corpus-Based Study of Epistemic Modality Markers in Chinese Research Articles. Chinese Lexical Semantics, 199–208. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hsieh, C.-L.
(2005) Modal Verbs and Modal Adverbs in Chinese: An Investigation into the Semantic Source. UST Working Papers in Linguistics, 11: 31–58.Google Scholar
(2006a) Hanyu qingtaici de yuyi jieding: Yuliaoku weiben de yanjiu [The semantic categorization of Chinese modal expressions: A corpus-based analysis]. Zhongguo Yuwen Yanjius [Chinese Language Studies], 211: 45–63.Google Scholar
Hsieh, C-L.
(2006b) Huayu guangyi yu xiayi qingtaici de fenxi [A study on Chinese modal expressions in broad and narrow senses]. Huayuwen Jiaoxue Yanjiu [Chinese Teaching and Learning], 3(1): 1–25.Google Scholar
Hsieh, C.-L.
(2009) Epistemic stance taking in Chinese media discourse. Research in Theoretical Linguistics, 31:1–35.Google Scholar
Jaffe, A.
(2009) Stance: sociolinguistic perspectives. Oxford University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Karkkainen, E.
(2006) Stance taking in conversation: From subjectivity to intersubjectivity. Text and Talk, 26(6):699–731. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Li, X. J.
(2015) Xiangsi, Bini, Tuice, Fouding – “haoxiang” “sihu” “fangfu” de Duowei Fenxi [Similarity, Simile, Conjecture, Negation: “ – The multiple analysis of “haoxiang (like)” “sihu (seem)” “fangfu (as if)”]. In Hanyu Xuexi [Chinese Language Learning]. 21:3–13Google Scholar
Li, C. N. and S. A. Thompson
(1983) The category “auxiliary” in Mandarin. In Ting-Chi Tang, Robert L. Cheng, and Ying-Che Li (eds.), Studies in Chinese Syntax and Semantics. pp.113–126.Google Scholar
Lim, N-E.
(2009) Stance-taking with Wo Juede in conversational Chinese. In Proceedings of 21st North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics (NACCL-21) Vol.21, pp. 323–340. Bryant University.Google Scholar
Lin, Jo-wang and C. J. Tang
(1995) Modals as verbs in Chinese: A GB perspective. Collection of Sinica Academia 66(1): 53–105.Google Scholar
Liu, B.
(2009) Chinese Discourse Markers in Oral Speech of Mainland Mandarin Speakers. Proceedings of the 21st North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics (NACCL-21), 21: 358–374.Google Scholar
Lü, Sh-X.
(2008) Xiandai Hanyu Babai Ci [800 Words in Modern Chinese]. The Commercial Press.Google Scholar
Lyons, J.
(1977) Semantics. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
McEnery, T. R. Xiao, and Y. Tono
(2006) Corpus-Based Language Studies: An Advanced Resource Book. Routledge.Google Scholar
Nuyts, J.
(2001) Subjectivity as an evidential dimension in epistemic modal expressions. Journal of Pragmatics, 33 (3):383–400. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2005) Modality: overview and linguistic issues, in W. Frawley (Ed.), The Expression of Modality (pp. 1–26). Mouton de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Palmer, F. R.
(2001) Mood and Modality. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pizziconi, B.
(2009) The interactional Consequences of Epistemic Intedexicality-Some Thoughts on the Epistemic Marker-kamoshirenai . In B. Pizziconi & M. Kizu (Eds), Japanese Modality: Exploring its Scope and Interpretation. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Qu, C.-X.
(2010) Hanyu Gongneng Pianzhang Yufa [A Functional-Discourse Grammar of Mandarin Chinese].Google Scholar
Reynold, B. L. & Y. Hsieh
(2019) A corpus study of stance adverbs in modern Mandarin Chinese –yexu, keneng, haoxiang . The Linguistics Journal. 13(1):52–72.Google Scholar
Sawada, H.
(2007) On Epistemic Modality: A Pragmatic Approach. Studies in Pragmatics. V91, 73–88. The Pragmatics Society of Japan.Google Scholar
Suzuki, S.
(1998)  Tte and Nante: Markers of psychological distance in Japanese conversation. Journal of Pragmatics, 29 (4):429–462. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tang, L.
(2000) Hanyu de qingtai fuci: Yuyi neihan yu jufa gongneng [Modal adverbs in Chinese: Semantic contents and syntactic functions]. Zhongyang Yanjiuyuan Lishi Yuyan Yanjiusuo Jikan [Collected Papers of the Institute of History and Philosophy, Academia Sinica]. 77(1): 199–219.Google Scholar
(2010) Evidentiality and Chinese modals. University of Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Tang, Ting-Chi, and Zhi-Zen Tang
1997  Huayu qingtaici xulun (Introduction to Chinese modal expressions). In World Chinese Education Association (ed.), Diwujie Shijie Huayuwen Jiaoxue Yantaohui Lunwenji: Yuwen Fenxi (Proceedings of the Fifth World Chinese Teaching Conference: Linguistic Analysis). pp.175–197. Taipei: World Chinese Publishing.Google Scholar
Traugott, Elizabeth
(2010) (Inter)subjectivity and (inter)subjectification: A reassessment. In K. Davidse, L. Vandelanotte (Eds.) Subjectification, Intersubjectification and Grammaticalization (pp.29–74). Walter de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Trope, Y., & Liberman, N.
(2010) Construal level theory of psychological distance. Psychological Review, 1171: 440–463. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wang, Y.
(2018) From subjectivity to intersubjectivity: A functional study of the Japanese epistemic marker-kamo , in M. E. Hudson, Y. Matsumoto, J. Mori (Eds.) Advances in Pragmatics Research on Japanese (PP.173–197). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wang, Y.-F., Tsai, P.-H., & Yang, Y.-T.
(2010) Objectivity, subjectivity and intersubjectivity: Evidence from qishi (‘actually’) and shishishang (‘in fact’) in spoken Chinese. Journal of Pragmatics, 421: 705–727. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Zhang, B.
(2003) Xiandai Hanyu Xuci Cidian [The Stance Adverbs Dictionary of Modern Chinese]. The Commercial Press.Google Scholar