"A pragmatic analysis of adverbial clauses in Paula Hawkins' The girl on the train "

Abstract

         This research explores the pragmatic functions of adverbial clauses in Paula Hawkins's novel The Girl on the Train. Characterized by its psychological complexity, the novel provides rich material for analyzing how adverbial clauses contribute to the construction of meaning within literary texts. The study depends on pragmatic as problem- solving proposed by Leech (1983), to examine eight  types of adverbial clauses, such as clauses of time, cause, condition, concession, purpose, place, result, comparison, and others. The study followed a qualitative approach, focusing on selected excerpts from the novel to analyze how adverbial clauses express speaker intentions, psychological states, and discourse coherence.  The results revealed that these clauses not only perform a grammatical function, but also contribute effectively to conveying the psychological depth of the characters and the ambiguity of the narrative. They are often used as an indirect means of expressing regret, denial, psychological pain, or an attempt at justification, especially in contexts characterized by conflict or ambiguity. This research contributes to the field of pragmatics by clarifying how context, intention, and interpretation interact in literary language. It suggests that pragmatic analysis can provide a deeper understanding of character development and narrative techniques in modern novels.