The Meaning and Functions of qSdk and yʕny as Discourse Markers in Saudi Arabic

Authors

  • Maram S. Alshammary Hail University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1106.16

Keywords:

discourse markers, pragmatic functions, procedural meaning, relevance theory, Saudi dialect

Abstract

The current study aims at investigating two discourse markers that are used in Saudi Arabic, “qSdk and yʕny”, against Schourup’s characteristics of discourse markers which are connectivity, optionality, and non-truth conditionality. Additionally, this study investigates the pragmatic uses and procedural meanings of those discourse markers using Blakemore’s procedural meaning and relevance theory as a framework. By examining two discourse markers that received less attention in other studies, the current study builds on previous literature in this field. Regarding methodology, the current study is a corpus-based study in which two corpora containing texts written in Saudi Arabic are used to extract data and evidence. The study concludes that “qSdk and yʕny” behave as discourse markers by being optional, connecting two segments together, and having no influence on the truth condition of the sentence in which they are used. The discourse marker “qSdk” serves three procedural meanings: asking for clarification, correction and making irony whereas “yʕny” serves the procedural meanings of clarification and asking for clarification. Furthermore, the use of these discourse markers makes the sentence more relevant to listeners as they need less cognitive effect to derive the pragmatic meaning of the sentence.

Author Biography

Maram S. Alshammary, Hail University

The Preparatory Year Department

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Published

2021-06-01

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 6 (2021)

Section

Articles