Discourse markers and turn-taking in media talk: A comparative study of Pakistani morning shows

Abstract

Discourse markers (DMs) perform various functions in spoken and written interaction. This study explores the role of DMs as turn-taking device in interruptive and overlapped speech in Pakistani English and Urdu morning shows. The data has been extracted from Pakistani morning shows of two different languages i.e. English and Urdu. The spoken data has been transcribed according to Jefferson’s (2004) transcription symbols. The study adopts the theoretical framework proposed by Brinton (1996). The method of Conversation Analysis (CA) has been applied to transcribed conversations of both shows. The analysis indicates that participants frequently employ discourse markers (DMs) at turn-initial positions to take the floor by interrupting others. Participants’ interruption for taking turn also causes overlap of speech in most of the instances. The distribution of DMs in English and Urdu morning shows exhibits some differences. However, similarities have also been found in the use of DMs for turn-taking. The findings confirm that DMs perform significant functions in turn-taking during conversation.