Diminutives in representative speech acts in English prose literature for children and young adolescents

Abstract

The current study examines the function of diminutives in the direct speech of characters in English prose literature for children and young adolescents, specifically in representative speech acts. Speakers’ utterances were analyzed with regard to the meanings of diminutives and a speaker’s intention in a given speech situation. The analysis involved looking into the types of diminutive forms (synthetic, analytical, inherent diminutives), denotation of diminutives, illocutionary force of utterances that contain diminutives, connotations of diminutives in the context of speech situations, and speakers’ attitudes. It has been found that analytical diminutive forms are more recurrent than synthetic ones, and inherent diminutives are very rare. There have been found two cases of combining synthetic and analytical forms, and analytical and inherent forms. Predictably, the prevailing semantic denotation of diminutives is that of smallness; the semantic feature of unimportance is less recurrent ([small] and [non-important] in Wolfgang U. Dressler and Lavinia Merlini Barbaresi’s [1] terminology). A rare but existing denotation is familiar relationships, but it takes a specific speech situation for a diminutive to reveal it. In the corpus of this study, the illocutionary force of representative speech acts is asserting, claiming, presenting an opinion, persuading, explaining, denying. The use of diminutives in the speech of the characters is aimed to give a reader a better idea about their social roles, intentions, and attitudes. In the majority of cases, diminutives boost the illocutionary force of an utterance. Affectionate or derogatory meanings of the same diminutives, their connotations depend on the speech situation; a diminutive may retain or change its presupposed attitudinal meaning depending on the speech situation, social roles of the speakers, and their intentions.