Managing Face: A Discourse Analysis of Hedges and Inclusive Pronouns in a Female Academic’s TEDx Talk

Abstract

Public speaking involves not only delivering information but also building social relationships, engaging audiences, and maintaining credibility. These functions become particularly important in contexts shaped by cultural expectations and gender dynamics. This study examines how a Libyan female academic employs linguistic strategies to manage face and build solidarity in a TEDx talk delivered to a predominantly male audience. The study adopts a qualitative discourse-analytic approach supported by simple frequency counts and grounded in Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory. The data consist of Hana Saleh’s TEDx Misurata talk “How Reading Affects Creativity and Critical Thinking”. Findings show that hedges, particularly epistemic verbs such as “I believe,” are frequently used to soften claims and reduce directness, while inclusive pronouns such as “we,” “our,” and “us” help construct solidarity and shared involvement. Together, these linguistic features enable the speaker to balance expertise with politeness and audience engagement. Although the study is limited to a single TEDx talk and relies mainly on transcript analysis, it highlights the role of linguistic choices in constructing interpersonal meaning in spoken discourse.