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This paper examines the use of the Indonesian discourse marker kan in conversation, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods. Kan appears to be similar in function to interrogative tags and to the hedge you know\ however, it occurs far more frequently in casual Indonesian conversation than similar markers in other previously studied languages. The functions of kan can be characterized äs solidarity-building activities: requesting agreement, marking conjoint knowledge and extending common ground. These functions are explicitly marked with greater frequency in Indonesian conversation due to differences between Indonesian and Western cultural values, which lead to differences in conversational style.

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Studies of male and female conversational styles in several cultures have shown differences in a number of areas, including the use of pragmatic particles. In most studies, women have been shown to behave more cooperatively, and men more competitively. This paper presents a study of two pragmatic particles in Indonesian conversations, kan and iya/ya, which cover a range of functions similar to English tag questions and the pragmatic particle you know. Given these similarities, parallel differences in usage might have been expected. However, differences occur much less frequently than has been the case in these other studies, and although the direction of such gender biases as were observed was generally in the same direction as found in other studies, on the whole Indonesian usage by both genders was facilitative. This result is then seen as a reflection of Indonesian cultural values, which place a premium on maintaining the appearance of cooperative behavior.

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