Pragmatic Justifications for Nonliteral Gratitude Acknowledgments: "Oh Sure, Anytime"

Abstract

This article addresses the question of why speakers choose nonliteral ways of speaking when misinterpretation can be problematic for interlocutors. The case of routine formulas, specifically, gratitude acknowledgments, whose typical tokens range along a continuum of nonliteralness, (e.g., "Don't worry about it" and "Anytime"), was investigated because these comments can pose particularly severe difficulties if misunderstood. The results of four experiments reveal that gratitude acknowledgments rated as highly nonliteral expressed greater politeness and esteem toward addressees than gratitude acknowledgments rated as more literal. Thus, at least some of the pragmatic functions accomplished by the more nonliteral versions of gratitude acknowledgments appear to warrant risking the costs of their misinterpretation.