Language, Individual & Society, Volume 8, 2014

Abstract: This paper investigates the way Sudanese women interact in friendly talk in relation to the use of ‘hedges’. It examines women’s adoption of hedges in interactions. The main assumption the researcher has in mind is that Sudanese women’s linguistic behavior, considering hedges, has a role to play in creating co-operation and intimate social relationships among them. The analysis is based on recordings of naturally occurring talk among women friends in Khartoum, the capital state of the Sudan. The results show that the subjects tended to use hedges excessively in their private conversations. The women in the sample adopted this linguistic device to co-operate in completing communicative tasks during natural interactions.