In linguistics, a discourse particle is a lexeme or particle which has no direct semantic meaning in the context of a sentence, having rather a pragmatic function: it serves to indicate the speaker's attitude, or to structure their relationship to other participants in a conversation. Discourse particles are primarily a feature of spoken language; in written language they indicate an informal or jocular tone.
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Famous quotes containing the words discourse and/or particle:
“The true mirror of our discourse is the course of our lives.”
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)
“You don’t hold any mystery for me, darling, do you mind? There isn’t a particle of you that I don’t know, remember, and want.”
—Noël Coward (1899–1973)