Which term describes a linguistic feature that signals a shift in topic or conversational focus, such as using 'Look' at the start of a sentence?

• A. transaction marker
• B. conversational repair
• C. fossilization
• D. language focus

Answer: (A)

The main idea is how a word at the start of an utterance cues a switch in what the speaker is focusing on. When someone begins a sentence with “Look,” they’re drawing attention to something new and signaling a shift in topic or focus—the upcoming information is something the speaker wants the listener to notice, prick up their attention to, and consider as the new point of discourse. In discourse analysis this use is described as a transaction marker or attention-getter because it marks a move from one part of the conversation to another and sets the stage for the listener to attend to the new information.

This fits because the other options don’t describe this signaling role. Conversational repair is about fixing or clarifying what was said earlier, not about shifting focus to new information. Fossilization refers to language forms becoming fixed over time, not to momentary discourse signaling. Language focus isn’t a standard term for signaling topic shifts in conversation.