This study is to investigate some aspects in using discourse marks and their functions based on presentations of college students as an analysis of verbal language in real life.
Though discourse marks have been regarded as a negative factor to hinder fluency in speech, which are unnecessary linguistic expressions to deliver meaning, I could realize that they are used as a way of communication in the form of language in process of deliveling utterance, not its meaning.
Chapter 2 deals with each different pattern and the number of frequency in different types of discourse marks, which are classified into an exclamation, a conjunctive adverb, an adverb, a demonstrative pronoun, etc.
There were 441 discourse marks out of 3,424 words in the first presentation on their residential areas or home towns. Among them, discourse marks in exclamation were used most frequently 193 times, and especially ‘아 and 어’ were used 102 times. It means that they have various functions of discourse such as their relatively free placements in their initial or middle peui of their presentation to gain attention and concentration from the audience, and effective time management and conversion of their topic in relation to their situation and context.
In the second presentation, discourse marks in exclamation and demonstrative pronoun were used a lot as in the first one. Rather, however, those in conjunctive adverb and adverb were reduced, which is due to weak interactive relations in ‘solidarity between speatker and listener’. And among exclamative words, ‘어, 음, 응, and 저기’ were frequently used, which implies presenters would have gotten some burden on the sudden presentation.
Chapter 3 pins down various functions of discourse marks.
First, these discourse marks such as ‘저, 저기, 음, 에/애, and 아/어’, are expressions to give a signal to listeners as the function of their starting presentation. They were usually placed in the front part of their utterancc(or speech), or sometimes used in succession.
Second, ‘거시기, 아, 어, 음, 애, 에, 저거, 저기, and 있잖아요’ carry out time management function to mention their appropriate subsequent utterance to be continued when they could not remind their thoughts or messages to be delivered.
Third, ‘어, 막, 자, and 지금’ execute concentration function to improve their delivelY and comprehension by letting listeners focus on their utterance.
Fourh, ‘아/어, 자, and 참’ are the discourse marks used to change their topic out of their previous information or meaning.
In conclusion, this research based on tile real data of spoken language in college students aged 20s, suggests that discourse marks
are an unnecessary factor in meaning but they are the necessary forms of Ianguage for presenters’ intention and goal of utterance listeners’ effective understanding in actual communication. Also, through this study, I could grasp that they are an effective way for the majority of students to give their thoughts, feelings, and information through quite a few discourse marks.