A Pragmatic Analysis Of Discourse Markers In Parent-Child Interactions Under Relevance Theory

Discourse markers are used extensively in verbal communication. They attract more and more linguists’ attention because of their own features such as phoneme, syntax etc. Discourse markers have been approached from various angles. Though a unified understanding of discourse markers on its definition, classification and functions is not formed in linguistic field, scholars are now inclined to focus on their cognitive and pragmatic features because they are parasitic on verbal communication. On the basis of the previous studies, the thesis attempts to account for discourse markers in parent-child interaction under relevance theory. Relevance theory which is proposed by Sperber and Wilson from the perspective of cognitive science, is an influential theory which intends to offer an explicitly account of utterance interpretation. First, a working definition of discourse markers is put forward; later the thesis attempts to explore the production of discourse markers, interpretation of discourse markers, and discourse markers which produce the cognitive context of three main kinds.Discourse markers, as a common linguistic phenomenon, affect the whole communication. They are a linguistic unit which does not affect the truth condition of utterance but is constrained by the context to express the attitudinal and procedural meanings.Moreover,a pragmatic analysis of discourse markers in parent-child interaction such as dui bu dui对不对,ke shi可是,suo yi所以,would be explored.Manipulated by the metapragmatic awareness,the speaker intends to offer some ostensive stimulus to achieve the successful communication and also to express himself explicitly and effortlessly,and one way is the use of discourse markers.The hearer should infer what the ostensive stimulus should be conveyed by the speaker.The employment of discourse marker communicates the presumption of its own relevance and is relevant enough for it to be worth the addressee’s effort to process.Integrated with the new information,a battery of contextual assumptions can be produced under the function of cognitive context such as encyclopedic information,logic information.Meanwhile,the hearer constrained by the principle of relevance should exchange the least effort for the derivation of the optimal relevance.Thus,the expectations of best relevance can be satisfied by the most accessible assumptions,which the speaker’s contextual implicature would be interpreted.So the assumption’s accessibility can be modified by saving the processing effort and by encouraging the hearer to select a specific context.At the same time, three various contextual effects can be produced by discourse markers because they are regarded as the new information and can encode procedural information. The three different ways are: by intensifying an existing assumption; by conflicting with an existing assumption; by joining an existing assumption to derive a new contextual implication. By doing this, the positive cognitive effect would be yielded to ensure the successful communication.