|
|
 #17 (permalink) Sun Oct 05, 2008 0:14 am Usage of 'right?' to replace 'isn't it?' or 'don't they?' |
|
|
Hey, all, which of the four principle kinds of question tags listed here would ", right?" fall under?
| Quote: |
'Politeness and the Use of Question Tags
One way a language user can express positive and negative politeness is by use of question tags. Holmes (1995) identifies four principle kinds of question tags, and groups them according to their function in spoken discourse.
Epistemic modal tags are those which are used for expressing uncertainty and generally have a rising tone (/). For example:
1, A student to another student checking an exam schedule:
The exam’s on the 21st / isn’t it
A second type of tag is the facilitative tag. This serves as a positive politeness device used to encourage another’s participation into the conversation. For example:
2. A group of friends discussing going to Japan:
You’ve been to Japan haven’t you, Dave
Facilitative tags generally have a falling tone (indicated by ). Softening tags, on the other hand, are largely negative politeness devices are used to ‘soften’ an otherwise direct face-threatening statement. An example from Holmes (1995):
3. Older brother to younger brother who has just stepped on the cat’s bowl and spilled her milk all over the floor:
That was a really dumb thing to do wasn’t it? (p82)
The fourth type is the challenging tag, which is used in confrontational strategies to intensify the loss of face and show that the user has greater power over the addressee.
http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/tags |
|
|
Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 4017
|
|
| #18 (permalink) Sun Oct 05, 2008 14:47 pm Usage of 'right?' to replace 'isn't it?' or 'don't they?' |
|
|
I think it would be better if you began a new thread on the questions of "surely" and your four kinds of tag.
On the question of "right", we have reached at least partial agreement:
| Molly wrote: |
| Quote: |
| To tell a student that "right?" does not have an impolite air in BrE is slightly misleading. |
I agree
|
MrP |
|
MrPedantic
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 1326
Location: Southern England
|
 |
| #19 (permalink) Sun Oct 05, 2008 15:24 pm Usage of 'right?' to replace 'isn't it?' or 'don't they?' |
|
|
| MrPedantic wrote: |
On the question of "right", we have reached at least partial agreement:
MrP |
Only partial. I see, so you don't agree with this bit then: "but the telling them the opposite can also be misleading", right? |
|
Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 4017
|
|
| #20 (permalink) Sun Oct 05, 2008 15:30 pm Usage of 'right?' to replace 'isn't it?' or 'don't they?' |
|
|
1. "Right?" does not have an impolite air in BrE.
— misleading.
2. "Right?" does not have a polite air in BrE.
— reasonable.
MrP |
|
MrPedantic
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 1326
Location: Southern England
|
|
| #21 (permalink) Sun Oct 05, 2008 15:42 pm Usage of 'right?' to replace 'isn't it?' or 'don't they?' |
|
|
3. "Right?" does not always have an impolite air in English, even in falling intonation tags.
- more precise and socially impartial.
4. "Right?" tends to be favoured by the slightly less sophisticated user.
- an unproven a socially-blinkered statement. |
|
Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 4017
|
|
| #22 (permalink) Sun Oct 05, 2008 17:14 pm Usage of 'right?' to replace 'isn't it?' or 'don't they?' |
|
|
| I don't perceive "right?" to be impolite. When I make a statement to support an argument, I sometimes use "right?" diffidently at the end of the statement to be polite, to pretend that I'm unsure of the statement. |
|
 Diverhank
I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 364
Location: California, USA
|
|
| #23 (permalink) Sun Oct 05, 2008 17:30 pm Usage of 'right?' to replace 'isn't it?' or 'don't they?' |
|
|
| Molly wrote: |
Well, I guess you're convinced that "right", as a tag, 'is almost always disagreeably "cocky", "provocative", "peremptory", etc?. So, I'll leave you to your prescriptive dreams on that one.
BTW, would you say that ", surely?" 'is almost always disagreeably "cocky", "provocative", "peremptory", etc?.
|
I'm not sure where that "almost always" with a quote mark comes from.
Cf. my actual statements (which relate to BrE only):
1. If the speaker is asking you to settle a genuine doubt, it isn't necessarily impolite; but elsewhere, it can sound a little "cocky".
2. When you eventually fall out with your friend, your chirpy "right" will begin to seem disagreeably "cocky", "provocative", "peremptory", etc.
MrP |
|
MrPedantic
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 1326
Location: Southern England
|
|
| #24 (permalink) Sun Oct 05, 2008 17:47 pm Usage of 'right?' to replace 'isn't it?' or 'don't they?' |
|
|
Once more:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Right?" does not always have an impolite air in English, even in falling intonation tags.
Next? |
|
Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 4017
|
|
| #25 (permalink) Sun Oct 05, 2008 17:58 pm Usage of 'right?' to replace 'isn't it?' or 'don't they?' |
|
|
| Molly wrote: |
Once more:
"Right?" does not always have an impolite air in English, even in falling intonation tags.
Next? |
Well, now you are arguing against statements I haven't made. It must be a very rainy day in Spain.
I'll leave you to tilt at your Molinos, old chap.
MrP |
|
MrPedantic
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 1326
Location: Southern England
|
|
| #26 (permalink) Sun Oct 05, 2008 22:13 pm Usage of 'right?' to replace 'isn't it?' or 'don't they?' |
|
|
[quote="MrPedantic"]
| Molly wrote: |
| Well, now you are arguing against statements I haven't made. |
| Quote: |
| If the speaker is asking you to settle a genuine doubt, it isn't necessarily impolite; but elsewhere, it can sound a little "cocky". |
Which type of tag do BrEng speakers generally use if they need to settle a genuine doubt, rising intonation tags or falling ones? |
|
Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 4017
|
|
|
| Meaning of "nod towards" | Wait while it is deleted vs. Wait while it is being deleted |
