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Ricky06 Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary

frequently used words with no meaning

What do we called words or phrases that used frequently in conversation but have no real meaning?
E.g. "well", "you know", "man"

Thanks.

Ricky
  

Top answer

One term is ' discourse device s'. The kind you mention are for social and conversational maintenance. Grammatically, they are 'interjections' .

— Mister Micawber

  • One term is ' discourse device s'.
  • The kind you mention are for social and conversational maintenance.
  • Grammatically, they are 'interjections' .
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7 Answers
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One term is 'discourse devices'. The kind you mention are for social and conversational maintenance. Grammatically, they are 'interjections'.
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MM, is a discourse device the same as a discourse marker?
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Thanks. Can we call them "pet phrases" ?

Ricky
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A pet phrase is a phrase you use all the time, and it varies from person to person. Your particular pet phrase might be a discourse device, but it's only a pet phrase for you. So make sure you understand the difference before using this term. If I always say "OK, so", then that's my pet phrase, but if someone else only uses it occasionally, it's not a pet phrase for them.
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MM, is a discourse device the same as a discourse marker?
Maybe. Personally, I use discourse device as the more general term, considering that discourse markers are those that more specifically indicate change of turn, change of topic, connectivity, etc. But I may be distinguishing the terms when they are really synonymous.
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Non-lexical discourse particles
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I don't know how common it is, but I like "articulated pauses".
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