Pragmatic Functions Of Connective Markers In Courtroom Interaction

With the intensive development of forensic linguistics, the research of discourse marker has been particularly significant. The paper, based on Relevance Theory, is to systematically analyze connective markers in courtroom interaction. The study illustrates that connective markers in courtroom interaction are much more in quantity and higher frequency than other discourse markers. So the author aims to figure out the following questions:(1) the characteristics and definition of connective markers in courtroom interaction;(2) the classifications and pragmatic functions of connective markers in courtroom interaction;(3) how the court participants apply connective markers to achieve their communicative intentions from different interpersonal relationships and interactions. The author gains the following findings:(1) based on the previous scholars’ generalizations, the characteristics of connective markers in courtroom interaction are syntactical independence, semantic procedural, pragmatic multi-functions and interlocutor’s subjectivity. And the definition of connective markers in courtroom interaction is that they are a series of expressions like words, phrases and clauses, which highlight their procedural meanings and grammaticalize their conceptual meanings to connect the former discourses and the latter discourses.(2) based on the previous studies, connective markers in courtroom interaction can be divided into two categories: one category is local connective markers related with the discourse content. They are logical relation markers, filling markers, sequence markers, enumeration markers and reformulation markers. And another category is global connective markers related with topics. They are initial markers, interjacent markers and terminal markers, and their pragmatic functions sign the beginning, transition and ending of topics.(3) relevance theory can reveal participants’ intentions in the court contexts by using connective markers. Connective markers, as a language strategy, can help participants in courtroom interaction to improve the efficiency of courtroom questioning and answering and achieve their communicative intentions.The innovations of this paper are as followed: firstly, the linguistic data are collected and transcribed from the authentic trials by the author. Secondly, based on the previous researches, the author makes classifications and pragmatic analyses of connective markers in courtroom interaction. The shortcomings of this study are that Relevance Theory can account for communicative intentions of court participants, but cannot reveal their goal relations. Because communicative intentions of court participants are governed by their different goal relations. In addition, the limitation of linguistic data which cannot cover all the characteristics and pragmatic functions of connective markers in courtroom interaction.