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In:Semantic-Pragmatic Change from Intersubjective to Textual Meanings
Edited by Giulio Scivoletto and Ryo Takamura
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 353] 2025
► pp. 76–103

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Chapter 3
From intersubjective to textual use of well as a discourse marker

A study from the perspective of politeness

Published online: 27 June 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.353.03tak
Abstract
This paper discusses the semantic change of well as a discourse marker from the perspective of politeness with synchronic conversational data. Previous research proposed two pathways of development of this marker: from textual to expressive and from expressive to textual. Based on the latter hypothesis, this paper claims that textual function can be considered a byproduct of a speaker’s intersubjective stance. The propositional meaning of well ‘in a good manner’ first invokes a subjective use (e.g., agreement), then an intersubjective use (e.g., dispreferred response). Furthermore, paying attention to the hearer’s face contributes to a textual use (e.g., repair) since topic/discourse management involves potential face-threat. That is, each component is overlapped between them in the order of subjective > intersubjective > textual.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Conceptual backgrounds
    • 2.1Functional-semantic modes of language
    • 2.2Politeness theory
  • 3.Terminology and methodology
    • 3.1Terminology
    • 3.2Methodology
  • 4.Synchronic and diachronic functions of well in previous research
    • 4.1Well in the cases of non-discourse vs. discourse uses
    • 4.2Well as a discourse marker in the synchronic perspective
      • 4.2.1Frame marker
      • 4.2.2Face-threat mitigator
      • 4.2.3Qualifier
      • 4.2.4Pause filler
    • 4.3Well as a discourse marker in the diachronic perspective
      • 4.3.1Etymology: Adjective vs. adverb
      • 4.3.2Two hypotheses: From textual to expressive vs. from expressive to textual
  • 5.Data analysis
    • 5.1Intersubjective uses
    • 5.2Textual uses
  • 6.Discussion and conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
  • Corpora
  • Appendix
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