Cue phrases are words and phrases such as now and by the way which m a y be used to convey explicit information about the structure of a discourse. However, while cue phrases may convey discourse structure, each m a y also be used to different effect. The question of h o w speakers and hearers distinguish between such uses of cue phrases has not been addressed in discourse studies to date. Based on a study of now in natural recorded discourse, we propose that cue and non-cue usage can be distinguished intonationally, on the basis of phrasing and.
