Which term is used for a word that manages the flow of discourse and includes items like 'oh', 'well', 'now', and 'then'?

Which term is used for a word that manages the flow of discourse and includes items like 'oh', 'well', 'now', and 'then'?

• A. Discourse marker
• B. Discourse connective
• C. Interjection
• D. Conjunction

Answer: (A)

Discourse markers are words or phrases that guide how a conversation unfolds. They steer the flow of talk, signaling when to shift topics, indicate a new phase in the discussion, show a speaker’s stance, or smooth transitions between turns. Words like oh, well, now, and then are classic examples because they don’t add new factual content; instead, they cue the listener on how to interpret what comes next and how to connect it to what was said before. That functional sense of organizing interaction is what makes them discourse markers.

Discourse connective would focus on linking ideas across sentences to show logical relations (like therefore or however), which is about the content connection rather than managing the conversational flow. An interjection is typically a sudden exclamation expressing emotion or reaction, which can overlap with discourse markers but is broader in scope. Conjunctions link clauses grammatically (and, but, or) but aren’t primarily about guiding the discourse in conversation. The term that best captures the role of oh, well, now, and then in directing how a conversation moves is discourse marker.