Date of Award
Spring 5-9-2017
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
English, Linguistics, and Communication
First Advisor
Lee, Janie
Major or Concentration
English
Abstract
This study explores the use of creaky voice in mitigating face threatening acts. Through the perspective of conversational analysis, examples of salient creaky voice from two audio recordings are analyzed for their role in instances of face threatening acts. The examples of face threatening acts used in this study include commands, requests, disagreements, suggestions, and jokes. Brown and Levinson's (1987) theory of politeness is used as the basis of defining face threatening acts, positive and negative face, and strategies for completing face threatening acts. The analysis shows that salient creaky voice is used in all the examples presented of face threatening acts. This use of creaky voice to mitigate face threatening acts may come from its ability to evoke or signal emotional affect and may be one of many possible functions of creaky voice in interaction.
Recommended Citation
Butler, Erin, "The Use of Creaky Voice in Mitigating Face Threatening Acts" (2017). Student Research Submissions. 164.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/164