17 - The pragmatics of adverbs

Summary

Introduction

The pragmatic functions of adverbs of certainty have been discussed in BrE rather than AmE. There are many similarities but also differences between the two varieties. The adverb sure with a distinctive pronunciation is, for instance, a characteristic feature of AmE.

Words which have the same or a similar origin but have evolved different functions tend to raise a number of important theoretical issues. To what extent do they develop in the same way and how should we explain the similarities or differences in their meanings? What is the relation between meaning and use or ‘langue’ and ‘parole’? As we pay more attention to discourse and language use we find differences between words that appear to mean the same thing because of their common origin. This is the case with the adverbs surely and sure. A common explanation put forward nowadays by linguists who are interested in ‘rethinking the linguistic relativity hypothesis’ is that the social and cultural context can account for the differences (see Gumperz and Levinson 1996). However, differences must also be seen against the backdrop of universal tendencies and similarities between languages which are systematic and typologically motivated rather than based on usage. In the present chapter I want to look for an explanation of the different developments of sure and surely at the interface between universal tendencies and social and cultural factors.

Etymologically sure and surely are closely related.