Subject: Languages and literature
Year: 2026
Type: Conference or Workshop Item
Type: PeerReviewed
Title: Cyber-Pragmatics and the Evolutionary Aspects of Discourse Markers: From the Dialogicity of Silence to the Origins of Fillers
Author: Jovanovska, Sashka
Author: Tashkoska, Marija
Abstract: Since the emergence of linguistic interest in their function, discourse markers have represented a problematic category. Over time, different theoretical approaches have generated considerable terminological confusion. Due to the absence of a uniform definition, discourse markers have gradually shifted from being treated as a pragmatically grounded category to being regarded as a residual category of language. This development has been further reinforced by their examination within narrowly defined research topics and/or specific theoretical frameworks with distinct heuristics. In order to expand existing knowledge, this study places discourse markers at the center of analysis. By offering a more precise determination of their synchronic status as a pragmatically grounded linguistic category, alongside a diachronic perspective on their development in the context of cyber communication, the study aims to define their position within the linguistic system and their functional value as manifested in use. More specifically, the paper examines the developmental aspects of discourse markers with the goal of distinguishing them from silence and from the category of fillers. Through a diachronic approach to this pragmatic category, and by addressing marginalised linguistic phenomena (e.g., silence and fillers), the study seeks to contribute not only to research on discourse markers but also to theories of language evolution. Furthermore, it highlights the need for grammatical models capable of incorporating the discourse level of language. The empirical analysis is based on a private corpus of 600 instant messaging conversations (conducted via Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp), supplemented by examples extracted from the Macedonian Web Corpus (mkWaC), which served as a reference corpus. Methodologically and theoretically, the analysis draws on principles of Conversation Analysis, Pragmatics, Discourse Analysis, Philosophy of Language, and functional approaches to grammar. The broader scientific contribution of this research lies in proposing a theoretical and methodological framework tailored to the study of communication in cyberspace, identifying diachronic processes operating at the discourse level, and emphasizing the necessity of functional theories of language that systematically account for discourse phenomena. Keywords: pragmatics; discourse analysis; conversation analysis; cyber-communication; contemporary literacy; language evolution; philosophy of language; discourse markers; fillers; silence.
Publisher:
Relation: https://eprints.ugd.edu.mk/38628/
Identifier: oai:eprints.ugd.edu.mk:38628
Identifier: https://eprints.ugd.edu.mk/38628/1/LELPGC_2026_Schedule.pdfIdentifier: https://eprints.ugd.edu.mk/38628/2/Cyber-Pragmatics%20and%20the%20Evolutionary%20Aspects%20of%20Discourse%20Markers.pdfIdentifier: Jovanovska, Sashka and Tashkoska, Marija (2026) Cyber-Pragmatics and the Evolutionary Aspects of Discourse Markers: From the Dialogicity of Silence to the Origins of Fillers. In: Linguistics and English Language Conference 2026, 1-3 June 2026, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
