‘So I Mean I Probably …’: Hedges and Hedging in Women’s Talk [2003]

Abstract

In this chapter,¹ I explore the use of the linguistic devices known as ‘hedges’ by linguists. These are words and phrases like maybe and sort of and I mean which have the effect of damping down the force of what we say. The term is derived from the everyday usage of the word ‘hedge’, as in ‘to hedge your bets’, where ‘hedge’ means roughly ‘to avoid taking decisive action’. When we hedge linguistically, we avoid saying something definite and so we keep our options open. Hedges encompass a wide range of linguistic forms, from the modal auxiliaries (may, might, could, etc.) and modal adverbs such as perhaps, possibly and probably, to discourse markers such as I mean, I think and well. These words and phrases, as I hope to demonstrate in the chapter, are a valuable resource for speakers.