THE ROLE OF DISCOURSE MARKERS AS INDICATORS OF SOCIAL RELATIONS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK FICTION
Keywords:
Keywords: discourse markers, sociopragmatics, literary discourse, English fiction, Uzbek fiction, social relations, pragmaticsAbstract
Abstract:This article examines the sociopragmatic role of discourse markers as
indicators of social relations in English and Uzbek fictional discourse. Discourse
markers, including pragmatic particles, connectives, fillers, and formulaic expressions,
function as essential tools for organizing discourse, managing interaction, and
signaling interpersonal relationships between characters. The study adopts a
comparative qualitative approach to analyze how discourse markers reflect power
relations, social distance, politeness, solidarity, and cultural norms within literary
communication. The findings reveal that English fiction tends to employ discourse
markers to express individual stance, indirectness, and conversational mitigation,
whereas Uzbek fiction relies more heavily on culturally embedded markers that encode
respect, hierarchy, and collective identity. The article demonstrates that discourse
markers are not peripheral linguistic elements but key sociopragmatic resources
contributing to character development, narrative coherence, and cultural representation
in literary texts.
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