A Comparative Analysis of the Use of the Discourse Marker “But” in a British Televised Political Interview Show: A Socio-Pragmatic Perspective

Abstract

This research investigates the utilization of the discourse marker (DM) “but” by interviewees (IEs) from a socio-pragmatic standpoint, focusing on its frequency and function through the analysis of a corpus comprising political interviews aired on BBC’s HARDtalk. The IEs are categorized into three demographic cohorts: those from eastern versus western cultures, non-native English-speaking IEs versus native English speakers, and female IEs versus their male counterparts. The study employs both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitatively, no statistically significant difference is found in the overall frequency of “but” usage among the three groups. Qualitatively, the analysis reveals the polyfunctionality of the DM “but”, with the most prevalent function being “contrast”, consistently employed across all demographic cohorts, although lacking statistical significance. Additionally, statistically higher usage of various function types is observed among IEs from the western culture and native English speakers compared to their counterparts. Female IEs exhibit a statistically higher frequency in the deployment of the “topic” function than males. Overall, while the frequency and the use of the “contrast” function show no significant difference, the study highlights the nuanced impact of culture, first language, and gender on the multifaceted functions of the DM “but” in political discourse. These findings contribute to our understanding of how socio-pragmatic factors subtly shape the usage of discourse markers like the DM “but” among varied interviewee demographics, as well as its role in shaping public perception and political narratives within the context of political interviews.