Abstract
The present chapter scrutinises invariable question tags in British English and European Portuguese from a contrastive point of view. Most previous research focuses on variable question tags and, if contrastive, compares other languages. This study shows that invariable question tags are more frequent and varied in European Portuguese than in British English. Furthermore, the results reveal that, while some invariable question tags appear across the two languages, others are registered only in one of them, despite the existence of equivalent expressions in the other. Additional asymmetries emerge concerning linguistic features of invariable question tags across the two languages. Based on the significant correlations between invariable question tags and their features, a model of predicted associations is put forward. © The Editor(s) (ifapplicable) and The Author (s),under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.

Abstract
While research has mostly focused on the pragmatics of variable tag questions, fewer studies have explored invariable tags, either for their own sake or in contrast with other tag types within and across languages. It will be argued that invariable tag questions are as much part of the tag question system as variable tag questions, and that a unified functional model needs to consider both types in order to compare function-to-form mappings and reveal language variation, as well as the factors motivating their use. This study proposes one such model comprising eight functional types of tag questions, i.e., informational, affective, challenging, hortatory, facilitative, focusing, phatic and regulatory, in relation to four clusters of grammatical, dialogic, generic and sociolinguistic features. Based on the analysis of 539 invariable tag questions in British English and European Portuguese, results show that the constructions are more frequent and functionally varied in Portuguese (N = 397 vs. 142). In addition, based on statistical analyses, corresponding multi-feature prediction models are obtained for the proposed functional types of invariable tag questions in the two languages under inspection, thereby uncovering novel contributions to the pragmatics of invariable tag questions within the tag question paradigm. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Abstract
This study investigates the characteristics of variable and invariable tag questions in monologues, comparing their usage in British English and European Portuguese. Through a corpus-based analysis, this paper provides valuable insights into the grammatical and functional properties of these linguistic constructions in spoken monologues in both languages. The findings reveal that tag questions are less frequently used in monologues than in dialogues, reflecting their interactional nature. However, their occurrence is notably higher in European Portuguese than in British English across both monologic and dialogic speech. Furthermore, tag questions in European Portuguese exhibit greater frequency and diversity in monologues, whereas in British English, they are less common and exclusively consist of variable tag questions. While some differences in the functional and grammatical features of variable and invariable tag questions were identified, these variations were not particularly pronounced. The analysis also highlights the limited availability of tag questions in the monologues dataset in English, underlining the need for further research to comprehensively explore these constructions across languages.

Abstract
The present study analyzes the types of interrogative, such as yes/no questions, wh-questions, or alternative questions, and their semantic and pragmatic functions in a multilingual parallel corpus of spoken monologues extracted from the TED Talks transcripts in five languages: English, European Portuguese, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, and Hebrew. The corpus was developed with English as the pivot language, and the examples are aligned in all five languages based on the occurrence of an interrogative. To conduct this study, we designed an annotation scheme that harmonizes two parts of ISO 24617 - Part 8: Semantic relations and Part 2: Dialogue acts. This framework enabled us to determine the discourse relations that questions establish with the segments to which they are connected and that precede them and their communicative function. In our analysis, we observed that, despite the monologic nature of the corpus, interrogatives are very frequent and diversified across the five languages. Our findings also reveal that the questions are mostly used with a pragmatic function and that the range of discourse relations is less varied. Additionally, the analysis disclosed some pertinent differences between the five languages concerning the translation choices.

Abstract
Discourse markers (DMs) are linguistic expressions that convey different semantic and pragmatic values, managing and organizing the structure of spoken and written discourses. They can be either single-word or multiword expressions (MWE), made up of conjunctions, adverbs, and prepositional phrases. Although DMs are the focus of many studies, some questions regarding the interoperability of taxonomies and automatic identification and classification require further research. We aim to tackle these issues by offering a critical analysis and discussing the constitution of a multilingual corpus in 10 languages, i.e., English, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, German, Macedonian, Romanian, Hebrew, Polish, European Portuguese, and Italian. The novel two-level annotation approach is based on (i) signaling the existence or non-existence of DMs in a given text, and (ii) applying the ISO-24617 standard to annotate the DMs' discourse relation and communicative function in the corpora. Additionally, we introduce prediction models for detecting the presence of DMs within a text. Marcatorii discursivi (DM-uri) sunt expresii lingvistice care transmit diverse valori semantice si pragmatice, av & acirc;nd rolul de a gestiona si organiza structura discursurilor vorbite si scrise. Acestia pot fi fie expresii formate dintr-un singur cuv & acirc;nt, fie locutiuni, expresii formate din mai multe cuvinte (MWE), alc & abreve;tuite din conjunctii, adverbe si grupuri prepozitionale. Desi marcatorii discursivi reprezint & abreve; obiectul multor studii, unele & icirc;ntreb & abreve;ri legate de interoperabilitatea taxonomiilor si de identificarea si clasificarea automat & abreve; a acestora necesit & abreve; cercet & abreve;ri suplimentare. Ne propunem s & abreve; abord & abreve;m aceste aspecte printr-o analiz & abreve; critic & abreve; si prin discutarea constituirii unui corpus multilingv & icirc;n 10 limbi, si anume: englez & abreve;, lituanian & abreve;, bulgar & abreve;, german & abreve;, macedonean & abreve;, rom & acirc;n & abreve;, ebraic & abreve;, polonez & abreve;, portughez & abreve; european & abreve; si italian & abreve;. Noua abordare de adnotare pe dou & abreve; niveluri se bazeaz & abreve; pe (i) semnalarea existentei sau inexistentei marcatorilor discursivi & icirc;ntr-un text dat si (ii) aplicarea standardului ISO-24617 pentru a adnota relatia discursiv & abreve; si functia comunicativ & abreve; a marcatorilor & icirc;n corpusuri. & Icirc;n plus, & icirc;n acest articol, introducem modele de predictie pentru detectarea prezentei marcatorilor discursivi & icirc;ntr-un text.

Abstract