The Pragmatic Function of the Discourse Maker “Well” in TED Talks from the Perspective of Relevance Theory

Abstract

This paper uses 25 speeches under the topic The most popular talks of all time in the TED official website as the corpus, and analyzes the pragmatic function of “well” in the genre of speech. The study finds that the discourse marker “well” in TED talks can achieve the following pragmatic functions, that is, delaying thinking, moderating tone, linking discourse, emphasizing information, constructing discourse, making up for shortages, correcting information, and changing turns. The use of discourse marker “well” can make communication more fluent and increase the compliance of conversation. The purpose of this study is to strengthen the correct use of the discourse marker “well” when delivering English speeches, and to improve English speaking ability to a certain extent.