Abstract
This thesis is an attempt to explore the pragmatic functions of “额” as a discourse marker in the conversation among Chinese college students. Previous studies of discourse markers in Mandarin have covered the most commonly used markers, such as “嘛”, “啊”, “哦”. However, there has been virtually no attention paid to the newly surging marker “额”, which was used on the internet and then spread to everyday conversation. As a neologism in the family of discourse markers in Mandarin, “额” has attracted many Chinese college students who frequently and artfully employ it in their conversation. The aim of the present thesis, therefore, is to unravel the secret behind this language epidemic by investigating the pragmatic functions of “额” as a discourse marker.
The present study examines the pragmatic functions of “额” on the basis of Svartvik’s research on discourse marker “well”. First, it reviews some related studies of discourse markers both in Mandarin and English, focusing on the theory proposed by Svartvik. Then, it illustrates why and how the research is conducted. Finally, within the framework of Svartvik, it provides a thorough explanation and interpretation to six usages of “额” in different discourse contexts in regards to the speakers’ intention and purpose. The data studied in each case comes from recorded naturally-occurring conversation between or among Chinese college students.
Results show that applying “额” while speaking Mandarin not only helps to organize the discourse but also plays an indispensable role in skillfully achieving the speaker’s well-designed purpose in discourse, thus maintaining the interpersonal relationship between speakers.
Key words: discourse marker, 额, pragmatic function, Chinese college students ，英语论文，英语论文题目 |
