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Chapter 10. Shifting responsibility in passing information

Stance-taking in Sir Thomas Bodley’s diplomatic correspondence
  • Gabriella Mazzon
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English Historical Linguistics
This chapter is in the book English Historical Linguistics

Abstract

Within the subfield of historical pragmatics, this paper focuses on the linguistic means used for transmitting knowledge and signalling stance in a sample of Early Modern diplomatic correspondence, a text-type that, while partly codified and formulaic, shows individual variation according to topic, correspondents, and other contextual factors. Sir Thomas Bodley’s diplomatic missions in several countries produced a substantial corpus of correspondence between him and the Court. The paper examines Bodley’s strategies for the reporting and assessment of information, while conveying different levels of involvement vs. distancing. The results show that Bodley is especially cautious about the reliability of sources of the information he gathers, as is shown by the vast array of linguistic means he employs to convey his stance towards the information and its sources.

Abstract

Within the subfield of historical pragmatics, this paper focuses on the linguistic means used for transmitting knowledge and signalling stance in a sample of Early Modern diplomatic correspondence, a text-type that, while partly codified and formulaic, shows individual variation according to topic, correspondents, and other contextual factors. Sir Thomas Bodley’s diplomatic missions in several countries produced a substantial corpus of correspondence between him and the Court. The paper examines Bodley’s strategies for the reporting and assessment of information, while conveying different levels of involvement vs. distancing. The results show that Bodley is especially cautious about the reliability of sources of the information he gathers, as is shown by the vast array of linguistic means he employs to convey his stance towards the information and its sources.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Phonology and morphology
  6. Chapter 1. Grimm’s Law and Verner’s Law 15
  7. Chapter 2. The foot in the history of English 41
  8. Chapter 3. Ambiguity resolution and the evolution of homophones in English 61
  9. Chapter 4. The threshold of productivity and the ‘irregularization’ of verbs in Early Modern English 91
  10. Part II. Syntax
  11. Chapter 5. The reanalysis of VO in the history of English 115
  12. Chapter 6. The role of (the avoidance of) centre embedding in the change from OV to VO in English 137
  13. Chapter 7. Syntactic changes in verbal clauses and noun phrases from 1500 onwards 163
  14. Chapter 8. Prepositions in Early Modern English argument structure and beyond 201
  15. Chapter 9. Should with non-past reference 225
  16. Chapter 10. Shifting responsibility in passing information 245
  17. Part III. Semantics and pragmatics
  18. Chapter 11. Theatrical practices and grammatical standardization in eighteenth-century Britain 263
  19. Chapter 12. Towards a companionate marriage in Late Modern England? 287
  20. Chapter 13. On the development of OE swā to ModE so and related changes in an atypical group of demonstratives 309
  21. Index 345
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.358.10maz

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Phonology and morphology
  6. Chapter 1. Grimm’s Law and Verner’s Law 15
  7. Chapter 2. The foot in the history of English 41
  8. Chapter 3. Ambiguity resolution and the evolution of homophones in English 61
  9. Chapter 4. The threshold of productivity and the ‘irregularization’ of verbs in Early Modern English 91
  10. Part II. Syntax
  11. Chapter 5. The reanalysis of VO in the history of English 115
  12. Chapter 6. The role of (the avoidance of) centre embedding in the change from OV to VO in English 137
  13. Chapter 7. Syntactic changes in verbal clauses and noun phrases from 1500 onwards 163
  14. Chapter 8. Prepositions in Early Modern English argument structure and beyond 201
  15. Chapter 9. Should with non-past reference 225
  16. Chapter 10. Shifting responsibility in passing information 245
  17. Part III. Semantics and pragmatics
  18. Chapter 11. Theatrical practices and grammatical standardization in eighteenth-century Britain 263
  19. Chapter 12. Towards a companionate marriage in Late Modern England? 287
  20. Chapter 13. On the development of OE swā to ModE so and related changes in an atypical group of demonstratives 309
  21. Index 345
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