My diploma work consists of two parts: a theoretical and an empirical one. After the introductory section I will give an overview on the names, definitions and subclassification of DMs, all of which are subject of debate among scholars even today. Then in Chapter Two, my primary objective will be to identify and discuss the not less diverse semantic, stylistic, and syntactic features of DM. I use some of these as criteria for determining DM status. The focus in Chapter Three will be on the NS – NNS differences regarding DM use. After presenting the main differences and the influencing factors, I will attempt to find the reasons for them. In Chapter Four I will turn to the previous studies on the DM well and I will give a short overview of these focusing on the meanings and functions attributed to it. Here I will draw the attention to the problems of categorization. In the second part of my diploma work I will add empirical evidence to the theories explored in the first part. I will describe the data I used for my research as well as the methodology I applied. Then, I will present my findings and with the help of these I will reflect on my corpus and I will compare it to previous research carried out by prominent linguists of the past.