英文摘要 |
This study aims to explore the discourse marker function of the Cantonese conjunction “tungmaai (同埋)” in the oral interactions among primary Chinese students and ethnic minority students in Hong Kong, and compare its usage between the two groups. The study designed four oral tasks to collect a total of 25 hours of oral data from 104 Chinese students and ethnic minority students aged 10-12 in Hong Kong. The study analysed the context, functions, and positions of “tungmaai (同埋)”. The findings showed that: 1) “tungmaai” revealed discourse functions, including extending a topic, shifting a topic, and filling in gaps in addition to its original meaning. “Tungmaai” was most frequently used for extending a topic, followed by shifting a topic and filling in gaps. 2) Both Chinese students and ethnic minority students used “tungmaai” for the same discourse functions, but ethnic minority students utilized it more frequently than the Chinese students. 3) The frequencies and proportions of the positions of “tungmaai” were also different between Chinese students and ethnic minority students. |