INCOMPLETE SENTENCES IN CONVERSATION: HOW REAL SPEECH USES FRAGMENTS FOR POLITENESS, EFFICIENCY, AND RAPPORT

Abstract

This article offers a comparative pragmatic analysis of incomplete sentences in conversational discourse in Uzbek and English. The study examines how speakers deliberately employ fragments to achieve politeness, conversational efficiency, and interpersonal rapport. It explores the mechanisms through which fragments reduce redundancy, soften statements, signal shared understanding, and create emotional closeness in natural spoken interaction. Similarities and differences in the use of fragments for these pragmatic purposes are illustrated with examples from everyday conversations, dialogues in literature, and media in both languages. The findings contribute to pragmalinguistics, discourse analysis, comparative linguistics, and intercultural communication studies.