Discourse Analysis HANDOUTS

Discourse Analysis: investigating language functions
along with its forms, produced both

What is Discourse? orally and in writing.
 Language in use, which is used to ∞ It is the identification of linguistic
communicate and is, felt to be qualities of various genres; vital for
coherent. their recognition and
interpretation, together with
cultural and social aspects which
support its comprehension, is the
domain of discourse analysis.
∞ It is the branch of linguistics

dealing with the examination of
discourse attempts to find patterns
in communicative products as well
as their correlation with the
circumstances in which they occur,
which are not explainable at the
grammatical level. (Carter
1993:23)
Types of Discourse:
Φ Compound – contains sections

belonging to two or more kinds of
discourse.
 A continuous stretch of language
larger than a sentence, often Φ Expository – explains or describes a
constituting a coherent unit, such topic.
as sermon, argument, joke or
Φ Hortatory – an attempt to persuade
narrative.’ (Crystal:1992)
the addressee to fulfill commands
 Cook (1989) defines discourse as that are given in the discourse. It
stretches of language perceived to typically consists of (1) one or
be meaningful, unified and more commands that are logically
purposive. related to each other and (2)
expressions offering motivation in
Origin of Discourse: support of the respective
commands.
∞ Discourse analysis is primarily (a)
linguistic study examining the use Φ Narrative – an account of events,
of language by its native usually in the past, that employs
population whose major concern is verbs of speech, motion and action
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to describe a series of events that - It is a form of discourse
are contingent (to) one another. analysis that focuses on
psychological themes. It was
Φ Procedural – used to tell the developed in the 1990’s by
addressee how to do something Jonathan Potter and Derek
presents a series of steps leading Edwards at Loughborough
to a goal and centers on events University. It also focuses on
that are contingent (to) one talk as action (Edward 1997),
another. rather than a reflection of
action.
Φ Repartee – used to recount a series
of speech exchanges. - Discourse psychology is
concerned with that memory
does in interaction – how a
Why discourse analysis? version of the past is
constructed in order to
sustain an action.
It is a way of understanding b) Critical Linguistic and Critical
social interactions. According to M. Discourse Analysis
Stubbs, it is language use beyond the
boundaries of a sentence. It is - Within Critical Linguistics and
interrelationships between language Critical Discourse Analysis
and society and, interactive or (CDA), the central concern is
dialogic properties or everyday with the social conditions,
communication. Discourse analysis rather that discursive action.
foregrounds language use as a social (Roger Fowler, 1991:5), in a
action, language use as a situated discussion of the “different
performance, language use as tied to goals and procedures” of
social relations and identities, power, different branches of
inequality and social struggle, linguistics, describes Critical
language use as essentially a matter Linguistics as an ‘enquiry into
of “practices” rather that “structures”. the relations between signs,
meanings and the social and
historical conditions which
govern the semiotic structure
They focus on the following: The of discourse.’
participants, what their relationships,
their goals and what writers and - CDA is concerned with
speakers mean (interpretation). ‘understanding the nature of
power and dominance’ and
how ‘discourse contributes to
Approaches To Analyze Discourse: their production’ (van Dijk
2001: 301-302).
- For both approaches, textual

a) Discourse Psychology context is crucial. Suitable
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data for analysis, examining
how language legitimates
social control, include • An approach to study of
documents, textbooks, media natural conversation
texts and broadcasts. especially with a view to
determining the participants
c) Conversation Analysis method on:
- It broadly examines the o Turn-taking
methods people use to make
sense of their everyday social o Constructing
world. It explains ‘the sequences of utterance
minutiae of naturally across turns
occurring conversations
represented in verbatim o Identifying and
transcript’ (Potter & repairing problems
Wetherell 1987:81), looking and,
at accounts in context, and in o Employing gaze and
terms of sequential movement (how
organization, in order to conversation works in
identify systematic properties different conversational
in talk. setting)
d) Sociolinguistics
- A method which tends to be Basic Structure:

disconnected from ordinary
talk and social context (de a. Turn-taking organization –
Beaugrande 1996). Within set of practices by which a
linguistics different strands of conversation is done in
the discipline have different and through turns.
aims and different Turn0taking is one of the
procedures. Traditional fundamental organizations
approaches treat language of conversation.
as a set of precise rules Accordingly, the turn-
which must be followed in taking system consists of
order to facilitate efficient two components:
communication. This view
focuses on the structure of i. Turn-Constructional
language units (including component:
sounds), and conventionally describes basic units
involves using invented known as TCU’s
sentences to illustrate how (Turn-Constuctional
these rules work. Units)
 Unit types
include:
Focus on Conversation Analysis:
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lexical,
clausal,
phrasal and
sentential.
(Note: They
are Reported by:
grammatically
and SERINO, Alain Delon L.
pragmatically
English 42 EDE Summer 2010-2011
complete
units, meaning
that in a
particular
context they
accomplish
recognizable
social actions.
ii. Turn-Allocational
Components:
describes how turns
are allocated among
participants in a
conversation. There
are three ordered
options:
 Current
speaker
selects Next
speaker.
 Next speaker
selects self as
next speaker
or
 Next speaker
continues
being Current
Speaker.
b. Sequence Organization –
concerns how actions are
ordered in conversation.
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Discourse Analysis HANDOUTS

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Discourse Analysis: investigating language functions

along with its forms, produced both

∞ It is the branch of linguistics

Φ Compound – contains sections

- For both approaches, textual

- A method which tends to be Basic Structure:

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