The Pragmatic Functions of Repetition in TV Discourse

Ghaleb  Rabab'ah; Ali Farhan AbuSeileek

doi:10.2478/v10015-012-0004-x

Authors

Ghaleb Rabab'ah Alfaisal University, Saudi Arabia
Ali Farhan AbuSeileek Al-albayt University, Jordan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2478/v10015-012-0004-x

Keywords:

TV discourse, media, self-repetition, repair, repetition functions, communication strategies

Abstract

Since repetition is a natural phenomenon used to perform various functions in interactional discourse, adopting a pragmatic analysis to the discourse of Dr. Phil and his guests on Dr. Phil's TV show, this study attempted to explore the pragmatic functions of such repetitions as used by English native speakers. The data were gathered from conversations between native speakers of English, and based on 7 full episodes of Dr. Phil's TV Show. The researchers watched, and studied these episodes on YouTube. The study revealed that one of the salient features of TV discourse is repetition, which is employed to perform a variety of language functions. Repetition was used to express emphasis, clarity, emotions, highlight the obvious, be questionable, express annoyance, persuasion, express surprise, give instructions, and as a filler in order to take time, when the speaker was searching for a proper word to say what would come next. The study concluded that these findings had significant implications for EFL/ESL teachers and the interlanguage development of EFL/ESL learners.

Author Biographies

Ghaleb Rabab'ah, Alfaisal University, Saudi Arabia

Dr. Ghaleb Rabab'ah holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He is currently an Associate Professor of English at Alfaisal University, Saudi Arabia. His research interests include psycholinguistic aspects of second language, and language learning and teaching. He has published many research papers on linguistics, TESL, and CALL in international journals, such as Journal of Pragmatics, Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, and ITL-International Journal of Applied Linguistics.
Ali Farhan AbuSeileek, Al-albayt University, Jordan

Dr. Ali Farhan AbuSeileek is an Associate Professor at Al al-Bayt University. He has published papers and designed several CALL programs for EFL learners. His major research interest is CALL and its application in EFL teaching and testing, machine translation, and CALL program development.

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