Discourse-Pragmatic Markers in Irish English

Abstract

Abstract Discourse-pragmatic variation has until recently tended to be left out of the domain of Irish English, where studies of lexical, morphosyntactic, and phonological features have traditionally dominated. The pragmatic perspective was a tendency in varietal research in general, and the research focusing on this interface has been very productive since. The study of discourse-pragmatic markers in Irish English has been part of the pragmatics research agenda since the need to focus on variational pragmatics was identified, and has become one of the most fertile grounds within the area. This chapter presents an overview of what has been covered in the last fifteen years. A number of discourse-pragmatic markers is then comprehensively examined and explained. Although some of the discourse-pragmatic markers that can be found in Irish English are not unique to this variety, their use in the Irish context provides interesting insights into the pragmatic work that they do as part of it.