Subjectivity in English as Lingua Franca discourse: The case of you know

This article presents the first empirical corpus-based investigation of the way speakers of English as a lingua franca (ELF) use the marker you know in interaction. While most previous studies of the use of you know stress its interpersonal functions in native English use, this study puts forward the strong hypothesis that ELF use of you know is critically different in that ELF speakers use you know predominantly as a self-serving strategy for purposes of creating coherence and “fumbling for words” in order to gain time for getting their message across. Results of the study which is based on authentic ELF interactions confirm this hypothesis and also substantiate assumptions about the location of you know inside turns and types of talk, about the role of individual variation and you know as a routine formula.