A discourse marker is a word or a phrase that plays a role in managing the flow and

structure of discourse. Since their main function is at the level of discourse

(sequences of utterances) rather than at the level of utterances or sentences,
discourse markers are relatively syntax-independent and usually do not change the
truth conditional meaning of the sentence.[1] Examples of discourse markers include
the particles oh, well, now, then, you know, and I mean, and the discourse
connectives so, because, and, but, and or.[2] The term discourse marker was coined
by Deborah Schiffrin in her 1988 book Discourse Markers.[3][4]

Contents
1 Definition
2 Usage
3 See also
4 Notes
Definition
In Practical English Usage, Michael Swan defines a discourse marker as "a word or
expression which shows the connection between what is being said and the wider
context". For him, a discourse marker is something that either connects a sentence
to what comes before or after, or indicates a speaker's attitude to what he is
saying. He gives three examples: on the other hand; frankly; as a matter of fact.
[5] Ian McCormick's The Art of Connection[6] outlines nine classes of connectives
based on their purpose:

to provide a sense of where something is in relation to something else;

to supply a sense of when something is happening;
to compare two ideas and express similarities;
to contrast ideas English provides many examples to signal the notion of
difference;
to present additional or supplementary ideas;
to indicate that a point in a discussion has been conceded or already taken into
account;
to demonstrate a sense of logical sequence;
to offer an illustration or an example;
to deliver a summary of the ideas discussed.
McCormick points out that "FANBOYS" is mnemonic to recall co-ordinating
conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

Usage
Common discourse markers used in the English language include "you know",
"actually", "basically", "like", "I mean", "okay" and "so". Data shows that
discourse markers often come from different word classes, such as adverbs ("well")
or prepositional phrases ("in fact"). The process that leads from a free
construction to a discourse marker can be traced back through grammaticalisation
studies and resources.[citation needed]

Traditionally, some of the words or phrases that were considered discourse markers
were treated as "fillers" or "expletives": words or phrases that had no function at
all. Now they are assigned functions in different levels of analysis: topic
changes, reformulations, discourse planning, stressing, hedging, or backchanneling.

Yael Maschler divided discourse markers into four broad categories: interpersonal,
referential, structural, and cognitive.[7]

Interpersonal markers are used to indicate the relationship between the speaker and
the listener.
Perception: "look", "believe me"
Agreement: "exactly", or disagreement: "I'm not sure"
Amazement: "wow"
Referential markers, usually conjunctions, are used to indicate the sequence,
causality, and coordination between statements.
Sequence: "now", "then"
Causality: "because"
Coordination: "and", or non-coordination: "but"
Structural markers indicate the hierarchy of conversational actions at the time in
which they are spoken. These markers indicate which statements the speaker believes
to be most or least important.
Organization: "first of all"
Introduction: "so"
Summarization: "in the end"
Cognitive markers reveal the speaker's thought process
Processing information: "uhh"
Realization: "oh!"
Rephrasing: "I mean"
Another example of an interpersonal discourse marker is the Yiddish marker nu, also
used in Modern Hebrew and other languages, often to convey impatience or to urge
the listener to act (cf. German cognate nun, meaning "now" in the sense of "at the
moment being discussed," but contrast Latin etymological cognate nunc, meaning
"now" in the sense of "at the moment in which discussion is occurring"; Latin used
iam for "at the moment being discussed," and German uses jetzt for "at the moment
in which discussion is occurring").[8]