Catherine E. Travis, Discourse markers in Colombian
Spanish: A study in polysemy. Berlin & New York: Mouton de
Gruyter, 2005. Pp. xiii, 327.
This book sets an excellent example of how a semantic focus may enrich
a theme usually identified as belonging to pragmatics. Discourse markers
are usually considered to be discourse support resources (fillers). They
are known in Spanish as muletillas ‘crutches’, with a
negative evaluation. Because they are independent from the syntactic core
structure, their presence seems arbitrary and optional. It is also
generally believed that they do not contribute to the referential content
of the clauses they are used in. Their use, however, is far from random;
it is governed by precise conversational conditions and discourse
criteria. Furthermore, they play an important pragmatic role in the verbal
interaction associated with negotiation between speaker and hearer. This
book with its detailed study is an excellent contribution to the
field.