PRAGMATIC FEATURES OF WOMEN'S SPEECH IN JANE AUSTEN'S “PRIDE AND PREJUDICE”

Abstract

This thesis examines the pragmatic features of women's speech in Jane Austen's “Pride and Prejudice”. It aims to identify how female characters employ speech acts, politeness strategies, indirectness, and conversational implicatures to construct interpersonal relationships and social identity. The research adopts a qualitative textual approach based on selected dialogues from the novel and applies the theoretical frameworks of Austin, Searle, Grice, and Brown and Levinson. The findings indicate that Austen's female characters use diverse pragmatic strategies that reflect individual personalities and the sociocultural norms of Regency England. The study contributes to literary pragmatics by demonstrating the relationship between language, gender, identity, and communication in literary discourse.