HEDGING IN BUSINESS ENGLISH COMMUNICATION: MODALITY, IMPERSONAL IT CONSTRUCTIONS, AND CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

Abstract

This study investigates the use of hedging or moderating the expressive tone of truth or directness in business English communication, focusing on three language tools: modality, impersonal constructions, and conditional sentences. The objective is to analyze and illustrate how these three devices hedge or control meanings conveyed in business communication. The study employed a comparative analysis and illustrative examples as discussion methods. The analysis draws upon five language sources, including textbooks, books, research, and online teaching materials, to provide spoken and written English expressions from authentic business contexts. The study also examines hedging devices that rely on syntactic and pragmatic aspects, specifically epistemic and deontic meanings. The findings show that the examples of English used in authentic business contacts discussed are from situations including letter correspondence, job-recruitment emails, notices, presentations, business trends, and an office operation. The three hedging devices illustrate two types of hedging strategies. First, they create politeness by reducing the assertive tone of directness while the speakers or writers master business negotiations, proposals, agreements, and requirements. Second, the devices help mitigate undesirable business results, including misunderstanding, risk, and future unpromising business commitment, by softening too-solid assumptions and limiting uncertainty. The findings support that incorporating the three hedges proposed into business English communication skill enhancement can equip learners with the devices for more effective interactions in professional settings.