Abstract:
Mitigation plays a very important role in communication because it enhances the reduction of negative effects which utterances have on speakers and hearers (Fraser, 1980). Previous studies suggest that mitigation has been examined in several languages; however, little has been investigated in Thai. Accordingly, this study aims at investigating mitigating expressions and their functions in Thai and analyzing the relation of mitigation in four types of discourse -- task-based conversations, interactions in academic seminar, academic articles, and opinion articles. The notion of mitigation proposed by Fraser (1980), Holmes (1984), Caffi (1999), Schneider (2010) and Thaler (2012) is adopted as an analytical framework. The results reveal that there are 8 types of mitigating expressions used by speakers, namely 1) epistemic expressions, 2) non-specific remarks, 3) parenthetical verbs, 4) question forms used for proposing opinions, 5) shields, 6) hypothetical remarks, 7) disclaimers, and 8) hesitant markers. The most preferred mitigating expression is epistemic expressions. This linguistic behavior seems to be related to Thai norms which give precedence to humility and interpersonal relations. Based on characteristics of occurrence, mitigating expressions can be categorized into two types -- occurring individually and occurring in a sequence. In addition, the result also shows that speakers usually adopt only one form of mitigating expressions. It is hypothesized that this might be because using only one mitigating expression is enough to reduce negative effects of utterances in Thai. An analysis in terms of function reveals that speakers utilize mitigation to reduce the commitment to the truth of proposition and the threatening of the interlocutor's face. As for an analysis of the relation of mitigation in four types of discourse, it is found that speakers tend to use various forms of mitigating expressions in a single utterance when they are in face to face communication, for example -- task-based conversations and interactions in academic seminar. The commitment to the truth of proposition and the threatening of the interlocutor's face are thusly reduced in the meanwhile. Furthermore, when speakers need to interact in academic context, those probably adopt only one form of mitigating expressions to reduce the commitment to the truth of proposition. The findings indicate that mitigation plays a significant role in Thai smooth interaction. However, if many forms are mutually adopted, they may cause the lack of clarity and credibility. In addition, the type of discourse also affects forms and functions of mitigation, therefore speakers intend to select the form according to the context.