Hedging in Advertising Communication by Commercial Agents in Inter-urban Transport Services in Cameroon: A Socio-Pragmatic Study

Abstract

Consciousness in communication is a sign of maturity as people interact in multilingual and multicultural environments. Not every utterance is appropriate to every audience, especially such utterances that are considered age related. Inter-urban transport agencies in Cameroon are commercial centre par excellence by different marketing agents, who use stylish language to display their different products to potential buyers.  This paper examines the use of hedging by these commercial agents as they deploy different techniques in their use of language to prevent minors from decoding the meaning from the words. This paper appreciates the consciousness in the use of language, but questions if the minors who are supposed not to understand the messages actually do not understand.  This research was carried out in Bamenda town where children between the ages of five and 10 and adults from 20 years were targeted. An oral test was administered to 100 adults and 100 children in which they were asked to say what they understand from some selected phrases used by commercial agents. The results showed that many of the children could not say what such phrases meant, but some gave the meanings. Some decided not to give, though it was evident that they knew the meanings. Some adults could not also give the meanings. The research, which is grounded on adaptation theory, holds that hedging in the context of interurban buses is a face saving venture and not only a means to obstruct comprehension.