Here is a discourse marker along with others like, Girl, Yo, and What’s up? frequently used by Afro-American speakers. This one is frequently used by southern whites in the U.S. too but one hears it more often among Afro-Americans mainly because southern whites are not migrating very much from the Southland.
Here is an example I heard the other day:
" They party so much at night I can’t get to sleep on time and I get up late in the mornin’. YOU KNOW WHAT I’m SAYIN’? " I think I’m going to have to move again. YOU KNOW WHAT I’M SAYIN’? "
"I’m finding that definitions of discourse markers are hard to find. Perhaps Garzo has one or can summarize what they are. If you can’t, Garzo, no problem but I think this is down your line. I imagine that Tim Ward, living in North Carolina, would know how often southern whites use this phrase.
Discourse markers are found in all languages. One of the most common in Spanish is Que tal? "What’s up, What’s going on, What’s happening? etc.
Thanks everone for any help and further discussion on this one.
Discourse markers are quite complicated beasts. Part of that complication stems from the fact that they are often overlooked as debased grammar. However, discourse markers might be thought of as the punctuation of speech. In that role, discourse markers are foar more specific, pragmatic and subtle than punctuation can ever be.
Usually, discourse markers come in lite and pro versions. DM-lite mostly involves conjunctions - they are the signposts to discourse. DM-pro involves anything from interjections and adverbs to full sentences. They signal the direction of the discourse, and are often used to affirm that the listener is following the discourse and in agreement with the speaker. They are often used to fill in ‘thinking’ pauses in discourse. Ulster-Scots dialect often uses what other dialects of English would call a conjunction as pure DM-pro:
"He went into town on his tractor, but."
I reckon that many DMs are non-lexial. Australian English uses a prominent tonal DM (which is growing more common in British English). The tonal pattern is similar to that of question (rising tone ending the sentence), but applied to a statement. The rising tone is used to indicate that listener should respond to show that they are following the dialogue. I find it odd when I hear someone say "My name is…" with rising intonation - it seems rather insecure.
Many discourse markers are of the kind ‘you know?’ ‘you see?’ ‘you know what I mean?’ or ‘you know what I’m saying?’ They all have the dual purpose of filling in gaps and coaxing a ‘uh-huh’ from the listener. The choice of discourse marker is usually dictated by dialect. However, I don’t know of any studies that have mapped out use of certain discourse markers - they are quite unstable phrases in many ways.
My Arabic teacher gave me good advice when he told me to start a sentence with yani, ‘well, I mean’, if I was unsure of my grammar. It always fills the hesitant gap, and it invites a listener to join you in discourse. It never fails.
Usually, discourse markers come in lite and pro versions. DM-lite mostly involves conjunctions - they are the signposts to discourse. DM-pro involves anything from interjections and adverbs to full sentences. They signal the direction of the discourse, and are often used to affirm that the listener is following the discourse and in agreement with the speaker.
A stellar post. When will people let go of the frickin grammar book and start listening to what’s actually going on?
Discourse marker may be close to what I know as modality expressions in Japanese. They are obligatory particles at the end of the sentence that show how the speaker casts information in the sentence to the hearer. Some examples: -yo, to point that the information the speaker is casting is considered to be new to the hearer.
-ne, to confirm the validity of the information that the speaker considers to be true.
shoo, something that the speaker considered quite obvious.
The list may continue at length but I personally don’t like them. Unlike in English Japanese does not allow the choice of using it or not using it. It’s always there. The written form of the language is free from modality expressions but not completely. If one speaks as one write, it is very odd.
Discourse markers are found in all languages. One of the most common in Spanish is ¿Qué tal?
I’m afraid "¿Qué tal?" is no discourse maker… It would be same as this Afroamerican guy asking "How are you?" instead of "You know what I’m saying?"... Don’t get confused, Brian, "¿Qué tal?" means simply "How" and is short for "How are you?" or "How do I look (with this dress)?".
Our DM’s are alike to the English ones: you know…/sabes (sabe Vd.)... look/mira (mire Vd.)... etc.
I admit that que tal might not be the best example of a discourse marker in Spanish but sometimes it is used as a Dm as in the case of the Chicano and Mexican Spanish "Oye, vato, que tal!" = "Hey, dude, What’s up!
Maybe it’s just my phatic perception of a discourse marker… For me "¿qué tal?" does have a proper signification within the sentence you’ve given, whereas a DM wouldn’t add anything, [I]you know[/I].
I prefer "errante"... A vagabundo is more of a homeless..;D
[quote author=Brazilian_dude link=board=grammar;num=1088895316;start=0#10 date=07/04/04 at 16:16:51]Nobody asked me, but I agree with WonderingSpaniard, but I do think that the Mexicans say the sentence Qué pasa way too much, maybe it’s their way to strike up a conversation. Here in Brazil people normally use sabe? (you know?) or young people especially use ‘tá ligado? (are you on, litterally are you connected/tied?)
It occurred to me after I posted that perhaps the phrase you know what I’m sayin’ is not the ‘discourse marker’ it once was. I’m thinking you feel me is a more modern example.
