Pausing to Intervene: Discourse Marker Emergence in English Time-Related Expressions

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper explores how English time-related expressions such as wait a minute, wait a second, and just a moment function as emergent discourse markers in spontaneous spoken interaction. While wait a minute and wait a second originally served imperative or literal functions, just a moment emerged from a temporal phrase lacking directive force. These expressions are frequently used to delay responses, interrupt politely, initiate self-repair, manage turns, signal topic shifts, and soften disagreement or surprise. Drawing on naturally occurring data from a spoken American English corpus, the study examines their syntactic positions—including left-peripheral, insertional, and stand-alone use—and functional diversification. The analysis shows that wait a minute and wait a second exhibit high pragmatic flexibility, often appearing in casual conversation to negotiate interactional goals. In contrast, just a moment typically appears in institutional or service encounters to maintain politeness or authority. These forms demonstrate signs of partial grammaticalization and conventionalization, having shifted from content-oriented meanings to discourse functions. The findings contribute to understanding the dynamic interplay between grammar and discourse and show how temporal expressions, depending on form and context, evolve into interactional resources in English.