Pragmatic Analysis of Mitigation Expressions in Some Selected English Texts

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Alaa Khaled Nsaif, Taisir Bashar Zaidan Al-Jadiri

Abstract

    This research investigates an important linguistic phenomenon called mitigation. Mitigation is the process whereby the sender (speakers)  soften in different ways their speech to reduce the danger of opposition in any kind of communication. This study attempts to analyze the different strategies used to reduce and soften the communication process It, also, identifying types of mitigation strategies used in the selected texts. The study tries to show how pragmatic analysis facilitates understanding the purpose and the communicative intention of the texts.


         The research concluded that mitigation is used whenever the sender (speakers) try to minimize possible negative illocutionary effects on the audience or when he wants to reduce their commitment to the truth of a proposition being conveyed. The analysis also showed that the utilization of indetermination, evasion, subjectivization, and politeness are essentially directed towards realizing the mitigation function. Also, mitigation is a considerable interpersonal method in communication, since it is utilized to guarantee polite and friendly interaction between interlocutors.

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