Prosody of Ojibwe Discourse Markers

Abstract

Discourse markers (DMs) are optional, sequentially dependent sentence-initial items (Schiffrin, 1987) that are used to bracket units of talk (e.g. oh, well, because, y’know, now ). This research aims to better understand Ojibwe DMs which typically occur as the first or second element of a sentence (Fairbanks, 2016). The proposed analysis seeks to understand the prosody of Ojibwe DMs broadly and specifically their use in narrative structure. The data is drawn from Gakina Dibaajimowin Gwayakwaawan ( All Teachings are Correct ) by Nancy Jones, 2013. The analysis was done by using the programs Audacity and PRAAT to identify individual sentences and their pitch prominences. Through careful listening and pitch tracking, prosodic properties of DMs were found to indicate the following:
 
 DMs attract the most prominent pitch in the sentence.
 DMs are used by the speaker to attract the hearer’s attention; in this sense they are interactional (Franks-Job, 2006).
 DMs are used by the speaker to structure the narration; as such they interact with topic changes and emphasis (Lenk, 1998)
 
 This study creates a more complex picture of Ojibwe DMs and adds to our understanding of the language.