Concession expression and evaluative stancetaking: the discourse features of gùrán-utterances in Chinese dialogues

Abstract In modern Chinese, gùrán serves to confirm a certain fact or a viewpoint, while subtly introducing the speaker’s actual intention through a concessive transition. Gùrán shows a versatility in utterance placement, either positioning itself at the beginning of an utterance or following the subject. This paper builds on the previous findings on the usage of gùrán and utilizes oral language from the Media Language Corpus (MLC) to explore the features of gùrán -utterances in dialogues. Guided by the stance framework, the analysis focuses on the personal evaluative stance conveyed by speakers employing gùrán in dialogues. It is observed that utterances containing gùrán align with two distinct modes of discourse correlation: a) the direct correlative mode and b) the indirect correlative mode. Additionally, these utterances are characterized by predictability and directionality, enhancing conversational flow. In accordance with the Politeness Principle, gùrán -utterances often adopt an “agreeing and then disagreeing” strategy in conversation, aiming to preserve the interlocutor’s face while articulating a subjective evaluative stance that merges the speaker’s intention with their standpoint.