The Discourse Marker (Well) in Selected Talk Shows: A Discourse Analysis Study

Abstract

The study analyses the discourse marker (well) in talks shows and how this kind of discourse marker plays a key role in shaping the forms of interactions. The method of analysis is a qualitative one that interprets the meanings of (well) in media discourse. The model that the study adopts is Liddicoat (2007) and, the use of discourse marker(well) will be classified in accordance with Svartvik (1980 ) and Schiffrin (1987). The study attempts to answer the following questions: what are the functions of discourse marker "well" in media discourse? and where does it appear in the adjacency pairs? The study has reached at a number of results. One of these results is that the discourse marker "well" is used in media discourse to make or shift the topics of the conversation or to prepare for the second turn of the adjacency pairs.