Strategies in Responses to Questions by Characters Representing Entertainment Industry Figures

Abstract

This article aims to examine the linguistic strategies employed in responses to questions by characters portrayed as entertainment industry figures in media interview contexts. The data were collected from interview dialogues of such characters in television dramas related to the entertainment industry. The findings reveal nine linguistic strategies: mitigation, rejection of the question’s presupposition, provision of additional information, apology, counter-questioning, refusal to answer, expression of doubt or surprise, acceptance of the question’s presupposition, and verbal attack. The selection of these strategies depends on the characters’ communicative intentions. The analysis also reflects the importance of “face” or public image in the entertainment industry. However, as these interviews are situated within entertainment media, the narrative emphasizes emotional expression and character development. Consequently, the linguistic strategies used tend to foreground emotions more than those found in real-life interviews, enabling audiences to better understand the characters and their emotional dimensions.