Introduction
Hedging in academic discourse seems to generate
enormous interest among linguists working in different
areas and using different methodologies. Researchers have
been particularly interested in the cross-linguistic and
cross-disciplinary variation of hedging. The most popular
disciplines subjected to linguistic analysis include sociology,
medicine, hard vs. soft sciences (Salager-Meyer 1989;
Skelton 1988; Varttala 2001; Hyland 2000). The majority
of researchers focus on English; those who undertake
cross-linguistic research usually also depart from English.
Studies into other languages (for example, Bulgarian,
Russian, Lithuanian, Portuguese and German), though
often performed from the point of view of English, identify
quite specific problems and suggest interesting results
concerning the frequency and nature of hedging (see
Alosevičien÷ 2007; Vassileva 1997; Namsarayev 1997;
Šeškauskien÷ 2005; Figueiredo-Silva 2001; Kreutz and
Harres 1997)..