ATLAS OF LANGUAGE

AT-091-053 · ATLAS 251

Discourse particle

A small unit that controls the attitude, expectation, or context of an utterance in conversation.

Explanation

Discourse particles primarily contribute to the pragmatic embedding of an utterance. In German, this broad concept overlaps with modal and nuance particles.

Example

“You know him, don’t you?”—“don’t you” activates an expected shared knowledge.

Counterexample

“You knew him yesterday.”—“yesterday” denotes time, not conversational attitude.

Distinction

Discourse markers: usually a broader term for organizational and connective expressions.

Effect on thought and perception

Reveals how speakers finely tune unspoken expectations and relationships.

Resonance

A small word aligns the entire utterance with the presumed interlocutor.

Cite this entry

Reich, Michael (Hrsg./ed.): „Discourse particle“. Atlas der Sprache, AT-091-053. ATLAS 251, data model 1.6.0. https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-091-053

https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-091-053

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