Second-level discourse markers across languages

This article looks at a particular type of routine formula, called ‘second-level discourse marker’ (SLDM), which falls within the scope of what is sometimes termed ‘procedural vocabulary’. Having defined and exemplified the notion, I set up a structural typology of SLDMs. I then proceed to discuss the possibility of structural equivalence between English, German and French SLDMs. I conclude by exploring the treatment accorded to SLDMs in some of the major bilingual dictionaries. The language material used for purposes of illustration is drawn from a wide variety of corpora.