NOW AS A DISCOURSE MARKER
NOW AS A DISCOURSE MARKER

Author(s): Petra Zmrzlá
Subject(s): Language studies, Theoretical Linguistics, Semantics
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: now; discourse marker (DM); adverb; frame; topic opener; shift of topic; focus; delay device; comparison device;
Summary/Abstract: The present paper concerns the expression now when used as a discourse marker and its occurrence in different contexts. The discourse marker now will be described, classified, and its discourse function contrasted with its adverbial meaning and use. Discourse markers (DMs) are mainly connected with spoken language, but it is possible to find them in written texts as well. Nevertheless, now is one of the discourse markers predominantly used in spoken language. It is usually not considered a typical example of a discourse marker and as such it is sometimes omitted by the authors dealing with discourse markers in general. The analysis in this pilot study is based on six spoken texts taken from the London-Lund Corpus (LLC) – three surreptitious private face-to-face conversations and three non-surreptitious and more formal public radio discussions.

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