Vague language (VL), as Crystal and Davy (1975, p. 111) point out, ‘is one of the most important features in the vocabulary of informal conversation’, since a lack of precision and intellectual control ‘helps create a relaxed conversational atmosphere and establish interpersonal rapport’ (p. 112). In other words, expressions such as ‘and that kind of thing’, which signal referential imprecision, simultaneously serve important affective functions. Different languages have different socio-pragmatic norms and conventions for the appropriate deployment of vagueness, with obvious consequences for second-language learners. Hence identifying areas of socio-pragmatic contrast where L1 transfer may cause problems for second-language learners may assist in reducing instances of cross-cultural misunderstanding. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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