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https://doi.org/10.31820/f.38.1.3
Discourse Markers in Computer-mediated Communication: The Case of Abbreviations
Jana Jurčević
Sažetak
Discourse markers (DMs) are characterized by terminological inconsistency, and as a result are often referred to as discourse particles, discourse operators, pragmatic markers, discourse connectives, sentence connectives, or cue phrases. Such diversity confirms the ongoing lack of consensus regarding their status and role. Nevertheless, extensive research on the use of DMs in face-to-face communication has contributed to a general acceptance of their core features. Despite this, studies on DMs within the context of computer-mediated communication (CMC) remain scarce. This paper argues that the specific characteristics of the digital environment, conditioned by the medium itself, offer a different perspective on this issue and contribute to a better understanding of the emergence (grammaticalization, pragmaticalization), functions, and status of DMs. The starting hypothesis is that DMs in CMC are systematically realized as abbreviations and perform various pragmatic tasks, which is supported by a qualitative analysis and a proposed functional classification. DMs are primarily utilized to achieve textual coherence, linguistic economy, and signalling of communicative roles, which are more challenging to maintain in an online environment (largely due to the absence of a shared situational context). Furthermore, DMs serve as hedging devices used by speakers to modify the force of their utterances, while also assuming the function of fillers used for structuring and gaining time in interaction. In this regard, the paper distinguishes between standard fillers and “crutch words” (poštapalice), which, due to redundancy and over-frequency, impair discourse cohesion and coherence. The primary goal of this study is to illustrate the manifestation of linguistic creativity in a digital medium where DMs are systematically realized as abbreviations and assume polyfunctional roles in CMC. The research was conducted on a corpus of 600 private interactions collected through instant messaging systems (Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp). The analysis is based on the tenets of pragmatics and conversation analysis, while accounting for the specificities of CMC.
Ključne riječi
discourse markers (DMs); Computer-mediated communication (CMC); abbreviations; pragmatics; language creativity
Hrčak ID:
349919
URI
Datum izdavanja:
28.7.2026.
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