TY - JOUR

T1 - "As they say, an articleis an article"

T2 - 2016 International Conference on Computational Linguistics and Intellectual Technologies, Dialogue 2016

AU - Vilinbakhova, E. L.

PY - 2016/1/1

Y1 - 2016/1/1

N2 - In most studies dedicated to tautologies it goes without saying that these constructions are commonly used in everyday speech. Further analysis is based on the hearer's point of view concentrating mostly on possible ways of interpretation of tautologies. At the same time the perspective of the speaker remains largely unexplored. This study based on Internet and corpus data [RNC] deals with some aspects of use of tautologies in communication in order to understand why the speaker should opt for uttering tautologies instead of being more straightforward and what communicative profit he gets for that. It seems that advantages of using tautologies for the speaker are based on their structural and semantic features: (a) their recognizable form X cop X that makes tautologies look like a cliche; (b) their possibility to appeal to mutual knowledge; (c) the unquestionable truth of their literal meaning. First, when the speaker uses tautologies as cliches with expressions "as they say", etc., he makes his personal opinion look like a common wisdom of linguistic community. Next, when the speaker emphasizes that he appeals to mutual knowledge, he makes the hearer look as like-minded person, therefore the hearer's possible disagreement is regarded as a refusal of (expected) support and solidarity and requires more effort. Finally, the fact that the literal meaning of tautologies is undeniable helps the speaker escape of the responsibility of false implicature; defend his opinion using so-called deep tautologies; close the discussion whenever it is more convenient to him.

AB - In most studies dedicated to tautologies it goes without saying that these constructions are commonly used in everyday speech. Further analysis is based on the hearer's point of view concentrating mostly on possible ways of interpretation of tautologies. At the same time the perspective of the speaker remains largely unexplored. This study based on Internet and corpus data [RNC] deals with some aspects of use of tautologies in communication in order to understand why the speaker should opt for uttering tautologies instead of being more straightforward and what communicative profit he gets for that. It seems that advantages of using tautologies for the speaker are based on their structural and semantic features: (a) their recognizable form X cop X that makes tautologies look like a cliche; (b) their possibility to appeal to mutual knowledge; (c) the unquestionable truth of their literal meaning. First, when the speaker uses tautologies as cliches with expressions "as they say", etc., he makes his personal opinion look like a common wisdom of linguistic community. Next, when the speaker emphasizes that he appeals to mutual knowledge, he makes the hearer look as like-minded person, therefore the hearer's possible disagreement is regarded as a refusal of (expected) support and solidarity and requires more effort. Finally, the fact that the literal meaning of tautologies is undeniable helps the speaker escape of the responsibility of false implicature; defend his opinion using so-called deep tautologies; close the discussion whenever it is more convenient to him.

KW - Microsyntax

KW - Pragmatics

KW - Russian language

KW - Semantics

KW - Tautologies

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85020452344&partnerID=8YFLogxK

M3 - Conference article

AN - SCOPUS:85020452344

SP - 817

EP - 829

JO - Компьютерная лингвистика и интеллектуальные технологии

JF - Компьютерная лингвистика и интеллектуальные технологии

SN - 2221-7932

Y2 - 1 June 2016 through 4 June 2016

ER -