Discourse Markers in John Lanchester’s «The Wall»

Abstract

In light of the magnitude of the current climate crisis and its impact upon human life [1, 2], there is a growing number of studies on the issue of climate change, which is analysed through the lens of discursive, linguistic, literary, and pragmatic approaches [3, 4, 5]. In particular, there has been a surge in publications that examine how the issue of climate change is represented in climate change fiction (cli-fi), a literary genre that focuses on the climate crisis and its negative consequences. Cli-fi offers a literary response to the challenges associated with the issue of climate change, conveys the climate crisis through a creative prism, and portrays the negative consequences of climate change in a relatable manner that is readily recognised by the readers [6, 7].  Arguably, a cli-fi novel «The Wall» by John Lanchester can be described as relatable and recognisable by the readers due to its first-person narrative, which reflects immersive and profoundly personal encounters with the negative consequences of climate change. In «The Wall», the protagonist uses understandable and realistic language to describe his experiences associated with the climate crisis. In particular, the protagonist employs metadiscourse and discourse markers (DMs) in order to guide the readers through the narrative. However, metadiscourse and DMs in the novel have not been examined through a linguistic lens. Conceivably, a linguistic examination of DMs in «The Wall» may shed light on the main protagonist and provide a deeper insight into the novel’s dynamics [8, 9, 10]. Guided by this contention, the study employs a linguistic analysis that aims at identifying and quantifying DMs in the novel. Additionally, the study involves a qualitative pragmatic dimension that focuses on unpacking the pragmatic roles of DMs in «The Wall». The results of the quantitative analysis reveal that DMs (i) and, (ii) but, (iii) if, and (iv) so are the most frequently occurring DMs in the novel. Their pragmatic roles are further presented, discussed and illustrated in the article.