Abstract
This study investigates the strategic use of discourse markers (DMs) in Imran Khan’s political speeches through a pragmatic lens, aiming to uncover how language functions to construct ideological narratives. The study utilized a qualitative discourse-pragmatic approach to analyse ten speeches by one of the political leaders from 2013 to 2022, chosen for their structure, rhetoric, scope, and subject variety. The transcripts, as secondary data, were sourced from reputable media outlets. The analysis takes a qualitative discourse-pragmatic approach, drawing on Schiffrin's and Fraser's Discourse Markers taxonomies. Each marker was detected in context and classified according to its function. The study focused on how Discourse Markers contribute to rhetorical goals and ideological framing. The DMs were categorized into five functional types: contrastive, inferential, elaborative, topic-management, and interpersonal. The findings reveal that the former PM consistently employs DMs to build moral binaries, justify political actions, amplify reformist agendas, and simulate conversational intimacy with the audience. These markers serve as rhetorical scaffolds that enhance coherence, reinforce populist appeal, and foreground ideological clarity. The study highlights how DMs—often overlooked as peripheral elements—play a central role in shaping political discourse, particularly within populist frameworks where emotional resonance and strategic ambiguity are key. It also underscores the pedagogical value of DMs for ESL education, advocating for their inclusion in curriculum design to foster pragmatic competence and critical language awareness. Ultimately, the study affirms that discourse markers are not merely linguistic fillers but potent instruments of persuasion, ideology, and narrative control in contemporary political rhetoric.
Keywords:
Discourse Markers, Linguistic Analysis, Pakistani English, Political Speech, Pragmatic Exploration, Strategic DiscourseReferences
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Copyright & License
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