An Investigation of Conversational Implicature of Functional Words in Some Selected English Exchanges

Abstract

English is a stress-timed language in that content words (i.e. in connected speech including nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are stressed whereas functional words including articles, prepositions, pronouns, auxiliaries and conjunctions are unstressed. Nonetheless, functional words have come strong (i.e. they are stressed) under certain circumstances. Accordingly, the main aim of the current study is to investigate the implied meaning of functional words in some selected conversational exchanges that have been downloaded from the internet . The main concluding points that the study has reached can be summarized as follows: firstly, it is found that functional words have both strong and weak forms under certain contexts. Secondly, functional words are used in strong forms when speakers try to demonstrate contrast, emphasis or indirectness. Additionally conversational implicature (related to the use of functional words) is used when speakers try to shift subjects, or make overgeneralization or avoid confrontation.

Keywords

• conversational implicature, functional words, strong forms, weak forms, exchanges