An analysis of hedging in eighteenth century English astronomy texts

Abstract

The present paper addresses the issue of hedging in astronomical scientific writing of the eighteenth century. The concept of hedging has long been debated, and there still seems to be little consensus as to the exact meaning of this linguistic phenomenon. The literature began with Lakoff (1972), and a number of studies discussing and redefining the concept have followed. The objectives of these works have varied, from analyses of the surface representation of hedges to their functions and pragmatic meaning. Notwithstanding, there remains some uncertainty as to how the concept of hedging applies, as Crompton (1997) has shown. It appears that the notion of hedging has been used as a stock category, often used to account for unclear strategies in discourse showing some degree of epistemic modality. What is clear in all discussions of the hedging phenomenon is that hedges are used in discourse to mitigate the assertiveness of a given proposition for different reasons. My analysis of hedges in astronomy texts in the eighteenth century includes a definition on hedges based on existing studies, including Hyland (1994, 1996, 1998), Salager-Meyer (1994), Salager-Meyer and Defives (1998), Markkanen and Schröder (eds. 1997), Crompton (1997), and Lewin (2005). The literature, however, is at some points confusing, and it is not always easy to perceive what the best investigative direction to take should be. Indeed, many examples analysed by some as hedges are convincingly discounted as such by others.