Return to search

The pragmatic markers anyway, okay and shame : a comparative study of two African varieties of English

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The goal of this study was to determine and compare the functions of the pragmatic
markers (PMs) okay, anyway and shame as they occur in two spoken components of
the International Corpus of English (ICE), namely ICE-SA (South African English) and
ICE-EA (East African English). Using the commercially available Concordance
program WordSmith Tools 4.0, all instances of okay, anyway and shame were identified
in each corpus and all non-PM instances were then excluded. The remaining instances
of okay, anyway and shame were subsequently hand coded to determine the primary
functions that these elements exhibit. The classification of the various functions was
done according to Fraser’s (1996, 1999, 2006) framework for identification of PMs.
Despite the different size and state of completion of the two corpora, it was found that
the functions of the two PMs okay and anyway were similar in South African English
and East African English. The findings of the corpus investigation included identifying
the functions of okay as both a conversational management marker and a basic marker,
as well as its role in turn taking. Anyway was found to function as an interjection, a
mitigation marker, a conversational management marker and a discourse marker.
Shame was found to be a uniquely South African English PM, and to function both as
an interjection and as a solidarity marker. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om vas te stel watter funksies verrig word deur die
pragmatiese merkers (PM's) okay, anyway en shame, soos wat hulle gebruik word in
twee gesproke komponente van die Internasionale Korpus van Engels (IKE), naamlik
IKE-SA (Suid-Afrikaanse Engels) en IKE-OA (Oos-Afrika Engels). Met behulp van
die kommersieel-beskikbare Concordance-program Wordsmith Tools 4.0, is alle
gevalle van okay, anyway en shame binne die onderskeie korpusse geïdentifiseer,
waarna alle nie-PM gevalle uitgesluit is. Die oorblywende gevalle van okay, anyway en
shame is daarna met die hand gekodeer ten einde die primêre funksies van hierdie
elemente vas te stel. Die funksies is geklassifiseer volgens Fraser (1996, 1999, 2006)
se raamwerk vir die identifikasie van PM's. Ten spyte van verskille in die grootte en
vlak van voltooidheid van die twee korpora, is vasgestel dat die PM's okay en anyway
soortgelyke funksies verrig in beide Suid-Afrikaanse Engels en Oos-Afrika Engels. Uit
die korpus-analise het dit verder geblyk dat okay nie net 'n rol speel in beurtneming nie,
maar ook funksioneer as 'n gespreksbestuur-merker en basiese merker. Anyway blyk op
sy beurt te funksioneeer as 'n tussenwerpsel, versagting-merker, gespreksbestuurmerker
en diskoersmerker. Laastens is gevind dat shame as PM uniek is aan Suid-
Afrikaanse Engels en dat dit funksioneer as beide 'n tussenwerpsel en
solidariteitsmerker.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/85844
Date12 1900
CreatorsFairhurst, Melanie
ContributorsHuddlestone, Kate, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageEnglish
Formatviii, 53 p. : ill.
RightsStellenbosch University

Page generated in 0.0023 seconds