Language Research

Pragmatic Aspects of Mægær (‘unless’/’but’) as a Discourse Marker in Persian

Shahin Shirzadi; Mohammad Amouzadeh; Seyed Alo Kalantari; Vali Rezai

Volume 12, Issue 2 , December 2022, , Pages 123-146

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2021.323183.666712

Abstract

Discourse marker is a functional-pragmatic category, not affecting truth conditions of the sentence. These linguistic elements encode procedural rather than representative or propositional ... Read More Discourse marker is a functional-pragmatic category, not affecting truth conditions of the sentence. These linguistic elements encode procedural rather than representative or propositional meanings. Discourse markers have been the subject of increasing attention in recent years, and have been investigated in different theoretical frameworks. Among the vast variety of approaches toward interpreting the role of discourse markers, one major approach is rooted in Grice's suggestion. By elaborating the concept of conventional implicature along the previously well-known concept of conversational implicature, Grice (1989) treats some discourse markers as being instances of the former. He also conceptualized the concept of non-central or higher-level speech acts to account for the contribution of these discourse markers to the meaning of their host sentence. In this article, we will initially describe the characteristics of the discourse marker "magar" (‘unless’/’but’) in terms of prototypical characteristics of discourse markers proposed by Brinton (1996) and Heine (2013). We then present a diachronic exposition of its semantic development from having a propositional meaning to a word with a textual and expressive function in contemporary Persian. This explanation is in accordance with Traugott’s (1986) analysis of semantic change toward more subjectification. Ultimately, we have applied a Gricean interpretation to this Persian discourse marker, as a higher-level speech act. It is argued that "magar" (‘unless’/’but), in addition to its function as a connective element (which connects two textual units or encrypts the connection between the propositional content of an utterance and its previous context), can help with the performance of a non-central speech act with the illocutionary force of indicating opposition. Given the fact that speech acts, in Searl's terms, are the subject of the quadruple felicity conditions, namely Preparatory, Sincerity, Propositional content and Essential conditions we have shown how these conditions can be actualized (or applied) when it comes to higher-level speech acts.

Synchronic Multifunctionality of the Discourse Marker Hâlâ ('now') from the Perspective of (Inter)subjectification

Azam Noora

Volume 6, Issue 2 , January 2016, , Pages 121-140

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2016.57510

Abstract

Adopting a discourse-pragmatic approach, this study examines the synchronic multifunctionality of the discourse marker hâlâ from the perspective of (inter)subjectification. ... Read More

Cyclic Grammaticalization of Yæ'ni ('meaning') from the Perspective of Discourse Grammar

Mohammad Amouzadeh; Azam Noora

Volume 5, Issue 1 , September 2014, , Pages 75-93

https://doi.org/10.22059/jolr.2014.52661

Abstract

On the basis of Discourse Grammar (DG), this study investigates the expression of yæ'ni in Persian. The term was originally borrowed from Arabic and has undergone the process ... Read More

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Keywords = Discourse Marker

Pragmatic Aspects of Mægær (‘unless’/’but’) as a Discourse Marker in Persian

Abstract

Synchronic Multifunctionality of the Discourse Marker Hâlâ ('now') from the Perspective of (Inter)subjectification

Abstract

Cyclic Grammaticalization of Yæ'ni ('meaning') from the Perspective of Discourse Grammar

Abstract