The Research On The Functions Of Discourse Markers In Political Interview

The discourse marker is paid much attention to by the linguists in the domestic and abroad research fields. Since the 1970s, discourse markers have become the focus extensively and gotten great success. But during the early stage, terms, definitions and characters are the center point. Gradually, linguistic researchers turn to the textual functions of discourse markers. For example, cohesive function, processing function and monitoring function of discourse markers. Based on three main approaches (coherence-based approach, grammatical pragmatic approach and relevance-theoretical approach) to discourse markers, the linguists come to the detailed research. The cause and effect discourse markers, the contrastive discourse markers, and the propositional discourse markers in the three American presidents'and one British Prime Minister's twelve political interviews constitute the main data of this research paper. The author conducts both qualitative and quantitative study of the data within the framework of the discourse markers theory, coherent theory, viewpoint theory and the prominent theory to demonstrate the following arguments in political interviews:Firstly, the discourse markers, especially for the cause and effect discourse markers in the political interviews, convey the coherent function.Secondly, different kinds of discourse markers can realize varied illocutionary forces. While for the discourse markers in the same class, the intensities of illocutionary forces are dissimilar. To get the resonance from the audience, the speaker gives priority to these discourse markers with stronger intensity of illocutionary force.Thirdly, varied discourse markers conduct different illocutionary force, and the intensities of are not the same. The function also varies along with the change of the kinds of discourse markers. The contrastive discourse markers have the viewpoint function, while the propositional attitude discourse markers have the prominent function in the political interviews.At last, this research paper sums up three factors that influence the speaker's choice of discourse markers. Though the three kinds of discourse markers can all be used to describe the speaker's state of affairs, the state of affairs conveyed by the propositional discourse markers is desirable and that of the other two is for speaker's actual state of affair. Speaker's social position determines the further choice of discourse markers.