Abstract: This research aims to investigate the functions of “just kidding” and its variants (e.g., only kidding) in American English. This study identifies 207 instances of this phrase from COCA and concludes three different functions of this phrase (inoculation, clarify utterance intent, and return to serious). After the original recognition, this study analyzes three functions of “just kidding” in the frame of politeness theory, which assumes the ongoing maintenance of face between interlocutors, arguing that “just kidding” and its variants can act as a significant factor of face-saving among interlocutors.

Key words: just kidding; politeness theory; corpus-assisted analysis

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction..1

2. Literature Review and Theoretical Framework..1

  2.1 Just Kidding

2.2 Politeness Theory

3. General Methods..3

3.1 The Corpus-assisted Analysis

3.2 Corpora

  3.3 Results

4. Functions of Just Kidding through the Lens of Rapport Management5

4.1 Inoculation

4.2 Clarify Utterance Intent

4.3 Return to Serious

4.4 Dual Functions

5. Politeness Theory10

6. Conclusion

Bibliography.

Acknowledgements