HEDGES USED BY MALE AND FEMALE SPEAKERS IN ‘THE MALAYSIAN STUDENT PODCAST’

Abstract

Hedges are a salient feature in spoken discourse, enabling speakers to express uncertainty, mitigate claims, and manage interpersonal relations. The study is driven by the lack of research on students’ use of hedges in a podcast, which is regarded as a platform on the rise as a new, well-accepted, and highly preferred medium for sharing information across a wide range of ages. Past study revised version of Salager-Meyer Taxonomy of Hedges was employed to analyse the types and functions of hedges employed by male and female Malaysian students in ‘The Malaysian Student Podcast’. The findings revealed that while both male and female speakers predominantly used Approximators, they differed in their use of other hedge types, with males favouring Modal Auxiliary Verbs and females relying more on Introductory Phrases. These differences suggest gendered patterns in expressing epistemic stance and managing interpersonal engagement in podcast discourse. Future research could explore hedging practices across a wider range of discourse contexts and participant profiles to further understand variation in spoken interaction.