The purpose of this study is to analyze how grammatical patterns of command in using hedge strategies function based on the principle of relative status in the Korean language. In order to accomplish the purpose, types of command in using hedge strategies are classified. The results showed that grammatical patterns of command are functioned to save the listener’s face from a listener’s viewpoint, and to strengthen details of propositions used from a proponent’s viewpoint. Also, from a speaker’s viewpoint, they are functioned to reduce the burden of command acts, and to agree with others implicitly or to follow his or her role demanded in the conversation. It also indicated that specific patterns are selected depending on language users, and context factors such as listeners’ reactions, hierarchical relations among listeners and speakers, their closeness to each other, location and formality of context, and publicity of their topics. Based on the findings, a pedagogical implication is suggested to provide language users’ multi-faceted competence in Korean.

The purposes of this study are to analyze high-frequency hedges in dissertations and provide basic data for Korean education for academic purposes. For these purposes, the investigator analyzed ‘-(으)ㄹ 수 있 다, -(으)ㄹ 것이다, and -(으)로 보이다’ in terms of frequency, distribution by the structure, and forms of combination in 50 dissertations for a master’s degree. The findings were as follows: first, ‘-(으)ㄹ 수 있다, -(으)ㄹ 것이다, and -(으)로 보이다’ were used total 3,880 times across all the dissertations. Of them, ‘-(으)ㄹ 수 있다’ were used 2,496 times, recording an overwhelmingly higher frequency than the others. Secondly, the study analyzed the frequency of hedges by the part in dissertations and found that hedges were most used in “Findings”(56.6%). Finally, there were standardized forms frequently combined with each hedge. ‘-(으)ㄹ 수 있다,’ for instance, was frequently used in the forms of ‘-(이)라고 할 수 있다/다고 할 수 있다,’ ‘-(으)ㅁ을 알 수 있다,’ and ‘-다는 것을 알 수 있다.’