Conversational Grammar: Some speech functions explained

What is it about?

This article introduces a brief taxonomy of the hedging strings "kind of" and "sort of" in the context of Construction Grammars. The overall purpose is to contribute, both theoretically and practically, to the pedagogical exploitation of these strings in EFL settings.

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Why is it important?

The introduction of a fine-grained classification of formulaic sequences bestowed of hedging functions is an innovation. Traditional approaches have treated formulaic sequences like "you know" or "kind of" as empty placeholders unworthy of classroom exploitation. Since these strings are very frequent in native varieties of English, its introduction in EFL instruction is considered a must.