DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

1. Kind of discourses:

   • Spoken discourse:
     • Characteristics: *Knows the listener face to face. *It is spontaneous.*Use extralinguistic signals. *There is rythm and intonation (intonation can cause or affect our interpretation). *Can use slang and informal vocabulary. Learners must be aware of linguistic devices. *Differs from culture to culture.
   • Written discourse
     • Characteristics: * Unknown reader. *Can adjust message to readers`expectations.*Unlimited period of time to create discourse. *Is more coherent (paragraphs,message neat, clear ideas).*Doesn`t require for an instant answer. *Information organized (tables, schemata). *Influence readers understanding, *Is more integrated. *Uses formal language.
   • 7 Criteria to qualify as a discourse according to Beaugrande (1981): 1) Cohesion (grammar). 2) Coherence (sense). 3) Intentionality (Message). 4)Acceptability (satisfactory to audience). 5) informativeness (New information). 6)Situationality (circumstnces). 7)Intertextuality (schemata).
     • Formal discourse features:* Strict. *Uses passive voice. *Lack of contracted forms with impersonality.*Complex sentences.*Vocabulary derived from Latin. *Governed by strict rules.*Solemn.*Official and serious.*Doesn`t use vernacular vocabulary. No slangs. No rhetorical devices
       • Writting formal links: *Substitution (Substitute the whole phrase or clause. *Ellipsis (Omission of noun, verb or clause. *Reference (Infer the meaning).*Conjunction (Relationship between clauses or sentences) *Lexical ( Reiteration adopts forms / Collocation ( words occur together).
     • Contextual or Informal discourses features: Uses active voice. *Uses contractions.* Uses casual vocabulary and slangs.
     • Classroom discourses help students to exposure to authentic discourse in the target language provided by the teacher (Dakowska 2001:86).
       • Salkie (1995) indicates that the majority of readers unconsciously makes use of tendencies of arranging texts to approach information.

2. Objective: To help second language learners with full comprehension of reading and speaking discourses. It will help to minimize missunderstandings between language production and perception.

3. Discourse means: A continous stretch of specially spoken language larger than a sentence.

4. Discourse analysis is the relationship between language and the context in which it is used.