A Study of Topic-Initiating Linguistic Forms:Focusing on the Discourse Markers “E,” “Eeto,” “Demo,” and “Nanka”

Abstract

Schiffrin (1978) described discourse markers as contextual coordinates involving participants and textual content. Based on Schiffrin’s (1978) definition, this paper quantitatively analyzes the function of “e,” “eeto,” “demo,” and “nanka” in the beginning of a topic. The results of the analysis showed a clear difference in the subject of the topic for “e,” “demo,” and “nanka.” In addition, the topic development type was found to be either related to the preceding context or not related, influencing the form of the discourse marker. As a characteristic of topic initiation, “e” was found to prompt the attention of the collocutor and function as a sign used to encourage the other person’s narrative in order to develop a new topic by asking a subsequent question. “Demo” was found to function as a sign used to develop a topic by shedding light on a different aspect of the other person’s narrative in the preceding context. “Nanka” was found to function as a sign used to advance the speaker’s own narrative by relating to the discourse structure itself. This study revealed a new aspect of the function of discourse markers by focusing on topic initiation and by comparing and analyzing multiple discourse markers within the same framework.