Abstract

An Analysis of Presupposition Triggers in Minny Jackson and Hilly Holbrook Speeches in Kathryn Stockett's Novel “The Help

Dr Zaidoon Abdulrazaq Abboud, Dr Fatima Raheem Abdulhussein, Narjis Audah Rashk

Volume: 11 Issue: 4 2021

Abstract:

Presupposition is a linguistic tool that can be used in utterances. The aim of using presupposition in utterance is to enhance the comprehension of what is being communicated. The purpose of the current study is to identify the presupposition triggers types used by two characters in Kathryn Stockett’s novel “The Help" Minny Jackson and Hilly Holbrook. Furthermore, the study aims at conducting a comparison between the two characters based on the types of presupposition triggers and the purpose they employed these triggers for. The data of the study are carefully selected scenes that involve the two characters. The scenes are anaylsed using the proposed model of Yule's (1996) and Levinson's (1983) classification of presupposition triggers. The analysis of the data reveals that the most dominant type of presupposition triggers that have been used by both of the characters is the existential presupposition triggers. The results show that this type occurred (70) times, which constitutes (69.3%) of the total used types of presupposition triggers. Moreover, it has been found that the second frequently used type of presupposition triggers is the lexical triggers with (18.75%) percentage of occurrence. The two characters have used these types in different contexts to deliver various communicative goals. In other words, the presupposition triggers are used as a linguistic tool for the characters to deliver their thoughts and to communicate more smoothly.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.37648/ijrssh.v11i04.005

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