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lecture 1 DA

The document provides an introduction to discourse analysis, defining it as the study of language use in various social contexts, encompassing both spoken and written forms. It explores the concept of 'discourse' and its historical roots, emphasizing the importance of coherence in meaningful communication. Additionally, it outlines two approaches to discourse analysis: the formal approach, focusing on structural relationships, and the functional approach, which examines language use in context.

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2 views

lecture 1 DA

The document provides an introduction to discourse analysis, defining it as the study of language use in various social contexts, encompassing both spoken and written forms. It explores the concept of 'discourse' and its historical roots, emphasizing the importance of coherence in meaningful communication. Additionally, it outlines two approaches to discourse analysis: the formal approach, focusing on structural relationships, and the functional approach, which examines language use in context.

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hoangcuc123456789
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Prepared by Dr Amina Zemieche

Module Discourse Analysis Level: Master 1English

Lecture 1: Discourse Analysis

Introduction

Discourse analysis is an area of research concerned with how language is used in different
social contexts and how it functions taking into consideration both forms of language written and
spoken at the sentence level and beyond. That is, discourse analysis is the study of spoken and
written language in use. To understand the notion of “Discourse analysis”, one should first
develop an understanding of the term discourse.

1/ What is Discourse?

When people communicate, they send and receive messages. Sometimes, however, those
messages might not be clear enough to be easily understood unless the two participants share
some knowledge about each other and also about the messages being exchanged. This
knowledge or information about the message can be called discourse. Note that the message
might be in a spoken or a written form.

Example:
Message/ Hearer/
Speaker/
Text Reader
Writer

Dating back to the 14th century, the term discourse is derived from the Latin word „discursus‟
which means „conversation’ (McArthur, 1996 cited in Drid 2010). Although this word has been
used to signify a number of notions, still its use is closely tied to language describing it in one
way or another.

Henceforth, one is to reconsider a number of definitions.

According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, the term discourse is


defined as „a serious speech or piece of writing on a particular subject‟ (2001, p.388). It can also
refer to a “serious conversation between people. In some contexts, the term discourse is used to
denote something spoken while the term text is used to denote something written. Nonetheless,
these distinctions are not always emphasized as the two terms might be used interchangeably
while at other times treated differently. (Nunan 1993 cited in Drid 2010). It also refers to any
naturally occurring stretch of language written or conversed by one or more than one speaker or
writer. (Drid, 2010)

The term discourse refers to chunks of language, be them spoken or written, used in different
settings. “The simplest definition of discourse is language-in-use.” Rymes (2008: p12). In its
written version discourse might refer to an essay written by a student, a journal article, a novel,
an excerpt from a book while spoken discourse might be a speech, a dialogue, or an interview.

It is worth noting that not any use of language beyond sentence level is discourse. There is a
condition that needs to be present which is coherence. Discourse is a complete meaningful unit
conveying a complete message. ( Nunan 1993 in Drid 2010)

2/What is Discourse Analysis?

Once the notion of discourse has been defined, it is high time to develop an understanding of
DISCOURSE ANALYSIS (DA)

“Discourse analysis is concerned with the study of the relationship between language and the
contexts in which it is used.” McCarthy (1991: p.5)

To embark on defining discourse analysis (henceforth DA), one would inevitably tackle two
divergent approaches to language in general and discourse in particular: the formal approach and
the functional approach. Schiffrin (ibid) combines both approaches when designating DA as „the
study of language use above and beyond the sentence‟ (p.170).

The first trend in defining DA is a formal or structural trend. In this paradigm, DA is seen as
the exploration of language use by focusing on pieces larger than sentences. Schiffrin (1994)
elucidates that discourse is merely a higher level in the hierarchy: morpheme, clause and
sentence (as stated originally by Zellig Harris in his first reference to DA); she also explains that
the pursuit of DA is to depict the internal structural relationships that tie the units of discourse to
each other: to describe formal connectedness within it.
The second trend is functional in perspective: it is not so much concerned with intra-
sentential relations as much as with language use. Brown and Yule's (1983) conception seems to
be compatible with this paradigm:

The analysis of discourse is, necessarily, the analysis of language in use.


As such, it cannot be restricted to the description of linguistic forms
independent of the purposes or functions which these forms are designed
to serve in human affairs. (p.1)

The focus in this conception is on the regularities which utterances show when situated in
contexts. Thus, it is obvious that the aspects of the world in which an utterance is used can also
contribute to the meaningfulness of discourse. Van Els et al. (1984), in this respect, argue that
„the study of language in context will offer a deeper insight into how meaning is attached to
utterances than the study of language in isolated sentences‟ (p.94). (cited in Drid 2010 p, 20-25)

Works Cited

Drid, T. (2010). Discourse Analysis: Key concepts and perspectives. Al Athar Journal, 9, 20-25.

http://www2.vobs.at/ludescher/Writing/differences_between_spoken_and_w.htm

McKarthy, M. (1991). Discourse Analysis for language Teachers. Cambridge: CUP.

Rymes, B. (in press, 2008). Classroom Discourse Analysis: A Tool for Critical Reflection.
Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

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