Abstract

The ubiquity of the discourse marker (DM) “okay” makes it an intriguing subject for investigation, and previous works have shown its various functions in different contexts. Using corpus analyses, this study investigates the functions of “okay” (and “all right”) in Philippine English (PhE) and compares them with the parent variety, American English (AmE). The results show that the contemporary use of the DMs in PhE is different from the findings of previous studies, but a separate analysis of an older corpus shows that it has not changed in three decades. When compared to AmE, it appears that Filipinos tend to use the DMs more to begin their utterances in order to orient the listeners to what they will say next. Americans, on the other hand, seem to do this almost as often as when they just confirm or agree with an utterance. The analysis also yields a new function of “okay” and “all right” that has not been found in previous studies. This study thus provides an updated account of the current use of “okay” and “all right” in PhE.