A Pragmatic Study Of Discourse Markers In Turn-Taking Process

Discourse markers are universal language phenomena in interpersonal communication as well as a hot topic for scholars at home and abroad,which exert great influence on the production and interpretation of utterances both in local and global level.Discourse markers can be used to instruct or constrain human verbal communication,which are not only a way of indicating the speaker's intention but also a mark of the hearer's inference of discourses.Turn-taking is the central issue in conversation analysis as well as an art and strategy in successful communication.Therefore,the accurate comprehension and flexible application of discourse markers in turn-taking process play an important role in promoting language communication.Based on Coherence Theory and Relevance Theory,scholars at home and abroad focused on discourse markers in spoken language and researched them mainly from semantic-pragmatic,syntactic-pragmatic and cognitive-pragmatic approach,and rarely involved discourse markers in written language.The thesis analyzes discourse markers in literary work from the perspective of turn-taking,aiming to further explain the pragmatic functions of discourse markers in concrete context and reveal contributions in literary appreciation.Based on the turn-taking theory proposed by Sacks,Schegloff and Jefferson,the present study analyzes discourse markers in conversations selected in Gone with the Wind,summarizing the features of discourse markers in turn-taking process,exploring how discourse markers help participants fulfill communicative intentions in the concrete context,thus analyzing the pragmatic functions of discourse markers in turn-taking process systematically and deeply.Moreover,the thesis is an innovative attempt to compare the distributions of discourse markers in turn-taking process between different interlocutors,discussing the distinctive personality characteristics of the four main characters.Meanwhile,combining descriptive method with explanatory method,the present study examines the contributions of discourse markers in revealing themes and polishing language,aiming to provide a profound understanding for the pragmatic functions of discourse markers and a new perspective for literary appreciation.The present study has certain theoretical significance and practical value.Theoretically,the thesis enriches the content of discourse markers,further interprets their pragmatic functions and provides a supplement to the application of turn-taking theory.Furthermore,the thesis attempts to combine discourse markers and literary appreciation and explore the contributions of discourse markers in portraying characters,revealing themes and polishing language,which broadens the horizon of literature.Practically,the thesis analyzes the features and pragmatic functions of discourse markers in turn-taking process and research how the interlocutors use discourse markers to achieve communicative purposes in a specific context,which provides significant instructions for language users to use language properly.In addition,the thesis also offers literature lovers a new approach to appreciate and create literary works.