Coherence and Cohesion in English Discourse

Pragmatic function
Turn position
Total
I
M
F
No.
% 
Reformulation
0
16
0
16
15.24
Explanation 
10
43
1
54
51.43
Delay device
3
31
1
35
33.33
Total 
(No.)
13
90
2
105
100.00
Total 
(%)
12.4
85.7
1.9
100
100.00
Table 3-2: Pragmatic functions of 
I mean
 with regard to turn position 
 
(all speech event categories together)
As for the turn position of 
I mean
, in accordance with Stenström (1995) and 
Erman (1986) three different positions within the turn can be distinguished: 1) at 
the very beginning of a turn; 2) within the turn; 3) at the very end of a turn. 
By the turn is understood everything a particular speaker says before the next 
speaker takes over. As can be seen from Table 3-2, the overwhelming majority 
of occurrences of 
I mean
in my data occur in medial (M) position within the 
turn (90 cases representing almost 86% of all occurrences). The preference for 
the placement of 
I mean
in M position within the turn has also been proved by 
Erman (1986). Both his and my results indicate that apart from the M position 
I 
mean
tends to be placed in initial (I) position, although it has been found in this 
position in 13 cases only, representing approximately 12 per cent of the cases in 
which 
I mean
is used. As regards final (F) position, it is assumed together with 
Erman (1986: 132) that when 
I mean
occurs in F position, it is because of an 
interruption on the part of a new speaker. This conclusion is evidenced by the
two 
occurrences of 
I mean
in F position found in my data (2%), since in both of them 
the current speaker has been interrupted by his/her interlocutor, as the following 
example illustrates:
(4) (SGR999SU146.32)
S2
with h- oh it’s so random. Like today I just filled it in on the bus. li- from 
the last five weeks. <