Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Language and Cultural Communication (ICLCC 2026)

4th International Conference on Language and Cultural Communication (ICLCC 2026)

📍Beijing, China🗓️ 24-26 April 2026
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Impact of Discourse Markers on L2 English Learners’ Perceived Empathy in AI-Mediated Emotional Support Dialogues

Authors
Hanwen Zhang1, *
1Foreign Studies College, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
*Corresponding author. Email: zhanghw8@mails.neu.edu.cn
Corresponding Author
Hanwen Zhang
Available Online 13 July 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-597-3_7How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Discourse Markers; Empathy Perception; AI-Mediated Dialogue; Emotional Support; L2 English Learners
Abstract

This study investigated how discourse markers influence second language (L2) English learners’ perceived empathy in AI-mediated dialogues, exploring the moderating roles of overall English proficiency and listening comprehension abilities. Using a within-subjects design, this study recruited 23 participants to engage in conversations with two AI psychotherapists, one of whom employed discourse markers and the other did not, and then the participants engaged in two-minute’ conversations with each AI psychotherapist, Psychotherapist 1 and Psychotherapist 2. Results showed that discourse markers significantly increased perceived empathy, particularly in caring, naturalness, understanding, and perspective shifting. Moreover, overall English proficiency, rather than listening comprehension, was more consistently linked to positive empathy evaluations, suggesting that learners with stronger language skills are more attuned to the interpersonal functions of discourse markers. These findings imply that discourse markers serve as politeness devices that strengthen interpersonal sensitivity and can be leveraged to improve user trust and support in AI-mediated communication.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Language and Cultural Communication (ICLCC 2026)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
13 July 2026
ISBN
978-2-38476-597-3
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-597-3_7How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Hanwen Zhang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/13
TI  - Impact of Discourse Markers on L2 English Learners’ Perceived Empathy in AI-Mediated Emotional Support Dialogues
BT  - Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Language and Cultural Communication (ICLCC 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 47
EP  - 56
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-597-3_7
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-597-3_7
ID  - Zhang2026
ER  -