The discourse marker well: A relevance-theoretical account

In Sperber and Wilson's relevance theory, the discourse marker well can be seen as a signpost which constrains the interpretation process and the concomitant background selection. It signifies that the most immediately accessible context is not the most relevant one for the interpretation of the impending utterance. This analysis covers four more or less distinct uses of well: (1) as a marker of insufficiency; (2) as a face-threat mitigator; (3) as a frame; and (4) as a delay device. Relevance theory, which is a general theory of human communication based on cognitive principles, offers a unified explanation across a broad range of examples.