Discourse Markers and Beyond: Descriptive and Critical Perspectives on Discourse-Pragmatic Devices across Genres and Languages

293 Pages·2020·3.532 MB·

by  Péter B. Furkó

POSTDISCIPLINARY STUDIES IN DISCOURSE
SERIES EDITOR: JOHANNES ANGERMULLER
Discourse Markers
and Beyond
Descriptive and Critical Perspectives
on Discourse-Pragmatic Devices across
Genres and Languages
Péter B. Furkó
Postdisciplinary Studies in Discourse
Series Editor
Johannes Angermuller
Centre for Applied Linguistics
University of Warwick
Coventry, UK
Postdisciplinary Studies in Discourse engages in the exchange between
discourse theory and analysis while putting emphasis on the intellectual
challenges in discourse research. Moving beyond disciplinary divisions
in today’s social sciences, the contributions deal with critical issues at
the intersections between language and society.
Edited by Johannes Angermuller together with members of
DiscourseNet, the series welcomes high-quality manuscripts in dis-
course research from all disciplinary and geographical backgrounds.
DiscourseNet is an international and interdisciplinary network of
researchers which is open to discourse analysts and theorists from all
backgrounds.
Editorial Board
Cristina Arancibia
Aurora Fragonara
Péter Furkó
Tian Hailong
Jens Maesse
Eduardo Chávez Herrera
Michael Kranert
Jan Krasni
María Laura Pardo
Yannik Porsché
Kaushalya Perera
Luciana Radut-Gaghi
Marco Antonio Ruiz
Jan Zienkowski
More information about this series at
http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14534
Péter B. Furkó
Discourse Markers
and Beyond
Descriptive and Critical Perspectives
on Discourse-Pragmatic Devices across
Genres and Languages
Péter B. Furkó
Department of English Linguistics
Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed
Church in Hungary
Budapest, Hungary
Postdisciplinary Studies in Discourse
ISBN 978-3-030-37762-5 ISBN 978-3-030-37763-2 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37763-2
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2020
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Contents
1 Preliminary Issues: Category Membership, Methodology,
Alternative Perspectives on Discourse Markers 1
1 Theoretical and Empirical Approaches to Discourse Markers 1
2 Characteristics of Discourse Markers, Criteria for
Discourse Marker Status 6
2.1 Non-propositionality and Optionality 6
2.2 Context-Dependence 8
2.3 Multifunctionality 8
2.4 Weak Clause Association and Variable Scope 9
2.5 Procedural Meaning/Non-compositionality 12
2.6 High Frequency, Orality, Stigmatization 13
3 Automatic Semantic Annotation: Testing Its Methods
and Precision 15
4 Corpus and Methodology 16
5 Findings 18
6 Conclusions, Utility of USAS as a Heuristic Tool 27
7 Alternative Perspectives on Discourse-Pragmatic
Devices: Outline of the Volume 28
References 32
v
vi Contents
Part I Discourse Markers Across Genres
2 Discourse Markers in Natural Conversations,
Scripted Conversations and Political Interviews:
Core and Peripheral Uses 39
1 Introduction 39
1.1 Types of Reports: Direct Reports, Indirect
Reports and Voicing 40
1.2 Research Questions 42
2 Research Material 43
3 Automated Semantic Annotation and Keyness of
Reporting Verbs and Expressions 46
4 The Use of Discourse Markers in Reporting Based
on the Findings of Manual Annotation 50
5 Prototypical and Peripheral Uses of Discourse
Markers in Reporting Across Four Genres 52
5.1 Core and Peripheral Examples from
the MPI Sub-corpus 52
5.2 Core and Peripheral Examples from Scripted
Discourse 56
5.3 Core and Peripheral Examples from Celebrity
Interviews and Natural Conversations 57
6 Summary, Conclusions 59
References 61
3 Discourse Markers from a Critical Perspective:
Some Theoretical Issues 65
1 Introduction 65
1.1 Discourse Marker Research and Its Relevance
to (Critical) Discourse Theory 66
1.2 Perspectives on the Manipulative Potential
of Discourse Markers 67
2 Previous Micro-Analyses of Manipulative Intent
in Political Discourse 69
Contents vii
3 The Political News Interview as a Genre 71
4 Data and Methodology 72
5 Discourse Markers Marking Manipulative Intent
in Political Interviews 74
5.1 Evidential Markers: Suppression and Backgrounding 74
5.2 General Extenders: Playing Down the Importance
of Alternative Viewpoints 77
5.3 The Role of Quotation Markers
in Decontextualizing and Recontextualizing
Texts, Legitimizing Opinions and Polarizing
the Audience 79
5.4 Other Manifestations of Manipulation:
Conversationalization and the Exploitation
of Ambiguity 81
6 Conclusions, Directions for Further Research 83
References 85
4 Discourse Markers from a Critical Perspective:
A Case Study of Discourse Markers in Parliamentary
Speeches 91
1 Introduction: Populism and Populist Discursive
Strategies 91
2 Contextual Background 93
3 Research Questions, Corpus and Methodology 95
4 Characteristics of Parliamentary Speeches 96
5 Propositional Lexical Items and Indexicals Used
as Manifestations of Populist Discursive Strategies 98
6 Discourse Markers and Modal Adverbs Used as
Manifestations of Populist Discursive Strategies 102
7 Conclusions, Directions for Further Research 113
References 114
viii Contents
Part II Discourse Markers Across Languages
5 The Use of Discourse Markers in Business English
Textbooks: Issues in L2 Communicative Competence
and Learners’ Input 119
1 Introduction 119
2 Components of Communicative Competence 120
3 The Role of Discourse Markers in Shaping Learners’
Communicative Competence 122
4 Characteristics of Discourse Markers as Sources
of Learners’ Difficulties 125
5 Mapping the Functional Spectrum of Discourse
Markers in a Corpus of Business English Textbooks 126
5.1 Research Process 126
5.2 The Functional Spectrum of Well in Naturally
Occurring Discourse 127
5.3 The Functional Spectrum of Of Course in
Naturally Occurring Discourse 129
5.4 The Functional Spectrum of Well and Of Course
in a Corpus of Business English Textbooks 130
6 Conclusion 136
References 138
6 Discourse Markers in Scripted Discourse I: Issues
of (Under)Specification in the Translation
of Reformulation Markers 141
1 Introduction 141
1.1 Contrastive Approaches to Discourse Markers 142
2 Preliminary Considerations 143
2.1 The Translation of Discourse Markers—Theory
and Practice 143
2.2 From Scripted Discourse to the Language of
Subtitles 146
3 Previous Accounts of Reformulation 148
3.1 Definitions and Lists of Reformulation Markers 148
Contents ix
3.2 The Functional Spectrum of I Mean 151
3.3 The Functional Spectrum of Actually 152
4 The Study 153
4.1 Data and Methodology 153
4.2 Findings 155
4.3 Discussion, Translation Strategies
and Implications 157
5 Conclusions, Limitations and Directions
for Further Research 159
References 160
7 Discourse Markers in Scripted Discourse II:
The Representation and Translation of Irish English
Stereotypes in Contemporary Cinematography 165
1 Introduction 165
1.1 The Concepts of “Stereotype” and “Stereotyping” 166
1.2 “Stereotype” and “Stereotyping” in Interactional
Sociolinguistics and Sociopragmatics 168
2 Examples of Discourse-Pragmatic Stereotyping 169
2.1 Request Strategies 169
2.2 Compliment Responses (CRs) 171
2.3 Responses to Thanks (RTs) 173
3 Stereotypes Incurred by the Use of Discourse Markers 174
4 Quantitative Perspectives on IrE Stereotypes 179
4.1 Keyness Analysis and Automated Semantic
Tagging of IrE Scripted Discourse
with Reference to AmE Scripted Dialogues 179
4.2 Keyness Analysis and Automated Semantic
Tagging of IrE Scripted Discourse
with Reference to BrE Scripted Dialogues 181
5 Conclusions, Fuzzy Boundaries Between
Pragmalinguistic and Sociopragmatic Features
as Well as Sociocultural Norms 183
References 184