Uses and resources of mitigation, in contrast

Abstract

Mitigation is a highly complex pragmatic phenomenon which has been prioritized as a subject of study in recent decades. However, because of this complexity, there is still neither a convincing definition of exactly what mitigation is nor a definitive list of the linguistic and non-verbal resources through which it is carried out. For this reason, several empirical studies which seek to explain sociopragmatic and geolectal variability in the uses and strategies of mitigation are under way. This is also the aim of our paper, included in the Project for the Sociolinguistic Study of Spanish from Spain and America (PRESEEA). In it, we present relevant data obtained from the comparison of what occurs in Madrid, Valencia, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Puebla (Mexico) regarding the frequency of the production of mitigation and its function in transactional interaction, together with the most productive strategies used in each community. This enables us to identify convergences and divergences and pinpoint sociopragmatic and geolectal patterns.