L2 Acquisition Of Four Discourse Markers (well, So, Like, You Know) By Chinese English-major Postgraduates

It has been suggested that DMs (discourse markers) play a very important role in the language communication, and therefore they have become a popular research object in the linguistic area.This paper first reviews some general aspects concerning DMs, such as their confusing terminology, common properties, complex functions and classification. What's more, the paper especially focuses on four frequently-used oral DMs, i.e., well, so, like and you know, as well as their pragmatic functions. L2 acquisition of these DMs by EFL learners is also introduced respectively.Based on the prior studies, five specific predictions are made regarding the L2 acquisition of the four selected DMs by CEPs (Chinese English-major Postgraduates) of different English proficiency. The results of the study show that like the Chinese middle school students and college students, CEPs especially those at low stage, still need to improve their capability of using DMs properly in their spoken English. Their insufficiency of employing the four selected research items is mainly revealed from three perspectives—the overall frequencies of DMs, the types of DMs, and the usages of DMs' functions in different speech contexts.