NON-EXPERIENTIAL THEMES
Interpersonal Themes
These include three main sub-types. Continuative Themes (or discourse markers), such as Now, Oh, well, Ah, please, have various functions as markers of attention, response, request, state of knowledge, surprise and hesitation, among others. Overall, they signal acknowledgements by speakers and transitions from one speaker to another or a move to another point in spoken discourse. Examples are:
Now who wants to come to the castle? – Oh, actually I have to do some shopping.
Well, we’ll see you later, then.
Another group of interpersonal Themes, Adjuncts of stance, include three main sub- types: epistemic, (certainly), evidential (apparently) and evaluative (surely, surprisingly)
1. Further sub-types include style adjuncts, such as frankly, honestly, and domain adjuncts, such as legally, technologically, consumerwize 2, which limit the domain of reference of the rest of the sentence.
A third type is made up of vocatives, such as Doctor! Mum!, and appellatives – ladies and gentlemen – which address people by name or by role or status 3.
1 Surely you could find yourself a job somewhere? Honestly, I’ve tried.
2 Technologically, though, the new model has not been a success.
3 Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. The coach will depart in five minutes.
