This paper will deal with the English lexical item 'now' and its German counterpart 'nun'. Its aim is to investigate what functions they can perform in spoken discourse classified as conversation, casting light on the ways they can be used to indicate discourse structures, and to work out similarities and differences between these equivalents from the two languages. This work will focus on 'now' and 'nun' as discourse markers, but will not ignore their original (propositional) meaning and – if applicable – non-propositional meanings besides their function as discourse markers. The analysis of the two items will be based on authentic material: for English, the London-Lund Corpus of Spoken English will be used; the source for instances of German 'nun' will be the Freiburg Corpus (Grundstrukturen: Freiburger Korpus). This paper can only draw on parts of the corpora; consequently, the search has been restricted to two parts of the London-Lund Corpus (cf. chapter 3.1.2.) and those elements of the Freiburg Corpus labelled conversation (cf. chapter 3.2.2.). On the grounds that this material is so limited, the investigation into the different uses of 'now' and 'nun' can only be exemplary and by no means exhaustive.
The paper will be structured as follows: the first part is concerned with defining the term discourse marker and classifying discourse marker functions into different types of functions, aiming at a language-independent description. The results will be used as a theoretical basis for the empirical part, which will first deal with English 'now' and then tackle 'nun'. Both of these sections will be organised in the same way: there will first be a language-specific discussion on different (discourse marker and other) functions of the respective lexical item; then criteria for distinguishing the different uses will be established. The second part will briefly demonstrate instances of 'now'/'nun' carrying their propositional meaning – for 'nun', there will also be a chapter on its use as a modal particle – before it concentrates on the two items having discourse marker status; in this section, different functions will be discussed and examples will be given from the respective corpus. As already mentioned, this analysis will have to remain of a merely exemplary kind. Finally, the results from these analyses will be contrasted, working out both differences and similarities between the lexical counterparts in the two languages.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Discourse markers
2.1. Definition and characteristics
2.2. Function
3. Analyses of now and nun
3.1. Now
3.1.1. Criteria for the distinction of propositional and non-propositional meaning
3.1.2. Functions and examples of now in the London-Lund Corpus
3.1.2.1. Now as a temporal adverb
3.1.2.2. Now as a discourse marker
3.2. Nun
3.2.1. Criteria for the distinction of propositional and different non-propositional meanings
3.2.2. Functions and examples of nun in the Freiburg Corpus
3.2.2.1. Nun as a temporal adverb
3.2.2.2. Nun as a modal particle
3.2.2.3. Nun as a discourse marker
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Focus
The primary aim of this work is to investigate the linguistic functions of the English lexical item "now" and its German counterpart "nun" within the context of spoken conversation. The study seeks to determine how these items operate as discourse markers to signal structural relationships, while also accounting for their original propositional meanings and potential modal functions, ultimately contrasting their usage patterns in both languages.
- Functional analysis of "now" and "nun" in spoken discourse.
- Identification of discourse marker roles vs. propositional meaning.
- Cross-linguistic comparison between English and German equivalents.
- Evaluation of textual and turn-taking functions in conversation.
- Methodological approach based on authentic corpus data (London-Lund and Freiburg Corpora).
Excerpt from the Book
3.1.2.1. Now as a temporal adverb
Now as a temporal adverb “refers to the time of speaking” (Aijmer 2002: 58). This condition is unambiguously given in cases like these: (4) c +^oh they !left+ last w/\eek# c *^[=m]#* B *they`ve* ^b\oth re'tired n/ow 'and [@m]# A *((^g\osh#))* B +they`ve ^bought a !b\ungalow#+ (LLC 4.3 448-452) (5) A ^and they`d 'had a !{d\ish*'washing}* mach\ine# A ^since - D *((well we))* A ^I don`t 'know for y/ears# A and +^I`m+ !{now l\ooking} B +^[\m]#+ A !!d\esperately {^round my :k\itchen#}# (LLC 4.3 203-206) (6) B ( - - . laughs) ^how h\ungry are you K/en# . B ( . laughs) A ^[\m]# A ^I can . ^I could !eat n/ow# A or ^I could !manage to w\ait# A ^I`m !qu\ite 'flexible# (LLC 3.7 1006-1010)
It can be seen from these examples that temporal now is syntactically integrated in the sentence. It may or may not carry stress – the first and third example are unstressed while the second is boosted (marked by an exclamation mark, cf. Lenk 1999: 9. Table 2); indeed it has to be a temporal adverb when it is stressed and the tone unit boundary does not follow immediately (cf. Aijmer 2002: 62). It has been mentioned before (chapter 3.1.1.) that it can only occur with verbs in the present tense. It does, however, not automatically have to be in the middle or at the end of a phrase, but can also stand at the beginning – if it is accentuated (cf. Aijmer 2002: 62). Now is also used in its temporal meaning when it occurs in fixed expressions such as every now and then: (7) A ^these m/\ews are f/ascinating# . A ^every 'now and 'then you :see the ":wide A \entrance# A which was the ^c\oach house +_entrance#+ (LLC 4.4 689-691) The last example for now in its propositional function shows that the mere collocation with another lexical item with potential discourse marker function (well) is not enough to make it a discourse marker: (8) A I was ^not w\/alking very 'well then# A ^and I don`t 'walk very 'well n\ow# (LLC 4.4 1535-1536)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the significance of discourse markers in facilitating mutual understanding in spoken interaction and states the objective to compare "now" and "nun".
2. Discourse markers: Discusses theoretical definitions and classifications of discourse markers, focusing on Lenk’s, Aijmer’s, and Willkop’s approaches to textual and interpersonal functions.
3. Analyses of now and nun: Provides the empirical analysis, establishing criteria for distinguishing discourse marker usage from propositional use for both languages.
4. Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, highlighting the similarities and differences in how "now" and "nun" function textually and in turn-taking across the two corpora.
Keywords
Discourse markers, Now, Nun, Spoken discourse, Textual function, Turn-taking, Corpus linguistics, Pragmatics, Propositional meaning, Modal particles, London-Lund Corpus, Freiburg Corpus, Contrastive analysis, Conversation analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic work?
The work focuses on comparing the functions of the English discourse marker "now" and its German counterpart "nun" in authentic spoken conversations.
Which linguistic phenomena are central to the analysis?
The analysis centers on discourse markers, specifically examining their textual and turn-taking functions, while also considering propositional meanings and modal particle usage.
What is the main objective of the research?
The objective is to identify how these items structure discourse, distinguish their pragmatic usage from their literal temporal meanings, and contrast their roles in English and German.
What research methodology is applied?
The study employs a corpus-based approach, analyzing segments from the "London-Lund Corpus of Spoken English" and the German "Freiburg Corpus" to demonstrate usage in real speech.
What does the main body of the paper address?
The main body provides detailed, language-specific analyses for "now" and "nun," establishing criteria for classification and demonstrating their functions through specific corpus examples.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include discourse markers, corpus linguistics, pragmatics, contrastive analysis, and spoken discourse.
How is the term "discourse marker" defined here?
The paper primarily adopts Lenk’s definition, describing them as short lexical items that function on a metalingual level to signal how a speaker relates current contributions to the broader discourse.
Does "now" always function as a discourse marker?
No, the paper distinguishes between its usage as a temporal adverb (propositional meaning) and its usage as a discourse marker (metalinguistic function), using criteria like syntactic position and prosody for differentiation.
What special role does "nun" play in German?
In addition to being a temporal adverb and a discourse marker, "nun" can function as a modal particle in German, signaling the speaker's stance or attitude, which is a distinction not mirrored in the same way by English "now."
- Quote paper
- Elisabeth Fritz (Author), 2007, Discourse markers, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/136240
