Authors
Uju Catherine Nwankwo
Department of English
Nwafor Orizu College of Education
Nsugbe Anambra State, Nigeria
nwankwouju23@gmail.com +2348035699995
Cecilia Amaoge Eme
Department of Linguistics
Faculty of Arts
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka
Anambra State, Nigeria
ca.eme@unizik.edu.ng +2348035611899
Abstract
Discourse markers (DMs) are important pragmatic
resources that facilitate communication, organize
discourse, and guide meaning interpretation within
specific socio-cultural contexts. Although extensive
research has been conducted on DMs in conversational,
media, and literary discourse, scholarly attention has
largely focused on conventional English DMs, leaving
indigenous discourse markers (IDMs) in African literary
texts relatively underexplored. This study investigates
pragmatic functions of IDMs in LiwhuBetiang’sThe
Cradle on the Scales, integrating Relevance Theory and
Speech Act Theory as framework. The study adopts
qualitative descriptive design, utilizing data purposively
extracted from the novel. Of the identified IDMs, only
seven- ah, eyah, ah ah, enh hen, mm, hm,um – were
selected and subjected to discourse-pragmatic analysis,
for want of space. Relevance Theory provides insights
into contextual meaning construction and inferential
interpretation, while Speech Act Theory explains how
DMs enhance communicative intentions and strengthen
illocutionary force. Findings reveal that IDMs perform
multiple functions, including emotional expression,
interaction management, speech act enhancement,
contextual meaning construction, interpersonal
relationship maintenance, cultural identity
representation, discourse cohesion, characterization, and
narrative realism. The study further demonstrates that
these markers are not merely fillers or hesitation devices but multifunctional pragmatic tools that contribute
significantly to communication and interpretation in
literary discourse. The findings contribute to scholarship
in pragmatics, discourse analysis, literary linguistics,
Nigerian English studies, and African sociolinguistics by
highlighting the relationship between language, culture,
and meaning-making. The study demonstrates the
explanatory relevance of combining Relevance Theory
and Speech Act Theory in the analysis of IDMs in
contemporary Nigerian fiction.
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