An Analysis Of Discourse Marker Like And Its Pragmatic Functions

Discourse markers appears so frequently in daily communication that in the past three decades, an increasing number of researchers began to show their interest in related areas of research, yielding great achievements. The results of researches in this area suggest that successful studies on discourse markers can be done from a pragmatic perspective. A good understanding of the meanings and functions of discourse markers, as well as the ability to apply them will help process information we receive from others, promoting mutual communication.As a discourse marker, like is sometimes treated as an unconscious filler, fuzzy word, or loose talk, just like a pause or "umm," a word that is useless and meaningless. However, studies from several researchers show that like is among one of the most frequently used discourse markers in English, and it has a complex role in communication.In view of these discoveries and enlightened by previous researches on discourse markers, and especially on like, this study aims to analyze the discourse marker like based on the Relevance Theory established by Sperber and Wilson, using the American sitcom Friends as a source of data.Through both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data, this thesis first describes the frequency, positions, collocations, and prosodic features of the use of like. Then the study centers on a systematic and concrete analysis of its pragmatic effects and functions. The results show that like in different contexts can indicate various emotions or attitudes, such as irony, disproval, surprise, impatience, disbelief, excitement, nervousness. The core of this study lies in like's pragmatic functions. According to the analysis, like can be categorized as serving five pragmatic functions: 1) a marker of hesitation, used as a pause for thought, or as a hedge for easing the situation; 2) an introducer to quantity or frequency; 3) an exemplifier; 4) a focus marker; or 5) a quotative marker, that is, a marker for quoting either what someone actually said or maybe some approximation of what they said, or prefacing an impersonation. Also it can introduce someone's inner thoughts or feelings. And in some cases, it can also be a marker to guide a non-verbal performance, such as facial expressions and body movements.Although this research is confined to daily conversations in an American sitcom, it can benefit pragmatic studies. By adopting Relevance Theory, rather than traditional linguistic theories, this study may be valuable in showing how that theory can be applied. In addition, by presenting a large number of examples and detailed explanations of them, this thesis may help people improve actual use of the marker like, promoting English communication with others.