Really as a Free-standing TCU in English Conversation

Abstract

In recent discourse studies, there has been a great amount of interaction-based research on discourse particles as a way of understanding meanings/functions in conversation. This research attempts to characterize really, which is used as a free-standing turn-constructional unit (TCU), by investigating its use in a range of interactional contexts from a discourse-pragmatic, interactional perspective. Really has been treated as an adverb or an exclamatory expression in traditional grammar, and a discourse marker in recent discourse studies. This research shows that the free-standing particle really can be better understood when considered in its interactional contexts, and that the exact meanings/functions should be considered in terms of interaction. It first investigates the distribution of grammatical properties of really through distribution/ frequency analysis, examining grammatical properties of really. Examination shows that the major function of really is to modify grammatical elements that follow it, such as adjectives, verbs, and adverbs, at the sentence level. This study also shows that the freestanding really functions as a newsmark, and that it is used to signal that the information provided by the prior speaker is new and unassimilated into the knowledge system of the recipient. In such a context, the typical sequence that the free-standing really constitutes runs as follows: (i) news announcement, (ii) (oh) really, (iii) reconfirmation, and (iv) assessment, justification, or additional information. This exploration of properties of really shows the importance of the sequential organization of talk in characterizing discourse markers or reactive tokens.