Lee, Bok-hee. 1996. Uncertainty of Speech Acts. Studies in Modern Grammatical Theories 9: 119-136. This paper attempts to examine how uncertainty is employed in interaction, to develop the concept of ambivalence, and to consider the implication for cross-cultural interaction. Although the uncertainty the speaker creates in ambivalence can be a useful strategy to achieve a particular purpose, it may prevent the addressee from understanding the speaker`s intent properly. Especially when we interact with people who may have different norms or conventions in how to use ambivalence, it may be a major cause of misunderstanding. Cross-cultural communication may be difficult, but I think that it is possible to avoid conflict or to improve tolerance if we are sufficiently aware of the possible causes of misunderstanding.

• 이복희 | Bok Hee Lee