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Article In: Journal of Historical Pragmatics: Online-First Articles

Grumbling through time

An annotation scheme for the diachronic and synchronic analysis of other-addressed complaints

ORCiD logo with link | Freie Universität Berlin
 | The Open University
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Abstract
In this paper, we introduce an annotation scheme for other-addressed complaints, listing and exemplifying the most important parameters that emerged from our analysis of three datasets: historical correspondence data (seventeenth to nineteenth century), present-day e-mails (from a political workplace setting), and informal present-day text messages. We illustrate how our annotation scheme can be used to contrast complaint strategies across time and media. Beyond contributing a scheme that can be used to systematically annotate and analyse complaints, this paper also gives first insights into other-addressed complaint strategies in correspondence to and from individuals from the seventeenth century to the early 2000s.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Previous research on complaints: Focus on other-addressed complaints
  • 3.Complaint annotation scheme
    • 3.1Data and methodology
    • 3.2Complaint annotation scheme overview
  • 4.Application to letters, e-mails and text messages
    • 4.1Type
    • 4.2Interlocutor/addressee
    • 4.3Theme
    • 4.4Mitigation
    • 4.5Justification
    • 4.6Related adjacent speech acts
    • 4.7Position
  • 5.Discussion
    • Correspondence as data in historical variational pragmatic studies
    • Complaints in professional settings
    • Complaints and relationships
    • Methodological insights and challenges
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
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