R Breheny, of Keynes House, Cambridge, writes: "I was wondering if any of
you knew of interesting previous treatments [on the semantics of "sorry"]"
Try:
Willis J. Edmondson. 'On Saying You're Sorry.' In F Coulmas, ed.
Conversational Routine: Explorations in Stnadardised Communication
Situations & Prepatterned Speech, Rasmus Rask Studies in Pragmatic
Linguistics, vol. 2. Janua Linguarum Series Mario 96. The Hague: Mouton, pp.
pp.273-288. Especially section, Apologies in discourse.
Also in the same volume, Bruce Fraser, 'On Apologising.' pp.259-271.
especially section. An apology. 9 Strategies for apologising (1.announcing,
2.stating, 3.offering, 4.requesting, 5.expressing, 6.requesting forgiveness,
7.acknowledging, 8.promising, 9.offering redress. Factors influencing the
choice of apologising strategy.
My own approach - from a Gricean philosophy of language - would be via H. P.
Grice (Studies in the Way of Words), via S R Schiffer (Meaning - taxonomy of
illocutionary acts in terms of Gricean intentions) and a look at D
Holdcroft, Words & Deeds (for a Gricean treatment of Austin's pragmatics).
Fraser defines an apology as a "type of remedial action", so I'm sure
there's more specific bibliography by so-called conversation-analysists like
E Schegloff and G Jefferson.
The header is a reference to E. Taupin/Elton John's song, "Sorry seems to be
the hardest word".
Oops. I notice you write "semantics" of sorry. All the references above are
to the conversational "pragmatics" of sorry. Sorry has no semantics! :)
Good luck and best wishes,
JL
JL Speranza (Mr)
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
jls@netverk.com.ar
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