PRAGMATIC FUNCTIONS OF THE DISCOURSE MARKER “AND” IN CROATIAN EFL TEACHER TALK
PRAGMATIC FUNCTIONS OF THE DISCOURSE MARKER “AND” IN CROATIAN EFL TEACHER TALK

Summary/Abstract: Discourse markers (DMs) play a critical role in facilitating understanding for English as a foreign language (EFL) learners and helping them navigate the complex communicative environment of the classroom (Walsh 2013). They contribute to the coherence and flow of spoken discourse, aiding both comprehension and interaction. In addition to aiding in the structuring of discourse, they enable teachers to clearly indicate relationships between different phases of the lesson, facilitating students’ comprehension of the instructional content. While considerable attention has been given to the use of DMs by EFL learners—and, to a lesser extent, teachers—there is limited research on the specific use of “and” as a discourse marker, particularly within EFL classroom contexts. Most studies on teacher discourse focus on a range of DMs without closely examining the role of individual markers in structuring pedagogical discourse. The present study aims to address this gap through a qualitative analysis of “and” as a DM in teacher talk, focusing on data collected from 8 Croatian EFL teachers working with primary (aged 12–13) and secondary school students (aged 16–17).The study reveals that “and” serves as a valuable and versatile DM, fulfilling several key pragmatic functions in teacher talk. It was primarily used to mark elaboration,continuation, and sequences, and to structure discourse by signalling topic changes, introducing questions, and making continuity more salient, helping to scaffold classroom interaction and maintain coherence. The findings highlight how this simple, yet frequent DM supports teachers in managing classroom communication, facilitating interaction, and enhancing overall classroom management. By shedding light on the diverse functions of “and,” this study contributes to the growing body of research on discourse markers in EFL teaching and underscores their pedagogical importance in fostering effective teacher-learner interaction.

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