The function and importance of discourse markers in political discourse

Abstract

Discourse markers are generally defined as linguistic expressions of different lengths, which carry pragmatic and propositional meanings. They are used to combine clauses or to relate sentences and paragraphs to each other. They appear in both written and spoken language to facilitate the discourse, and to indicate a speaker`s attitude to what he is saying. As linguistic items, discourse markers have important functions in discourses of various styles and registers. Through any political text, discourse markers play an important role as a cohesive device in conveying the intended message. As a tool, language is used to achieve political aims and discourse markers are a vivid part of this tool to indicate the speaker`s attitude towards the audience. Taking into consideration this fact, this paper aims at identifying and analyzing the functions and the importance of discourse markers through political discourses in Albania.