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Topic 1 Defining Discourse

Discourse analysis is the study of language use above the sentence level and in its proper context. It examines how language is used in specific discourses or contexts rather than as an isolated system. Discourse analysis focuses on describing language use through approaches like register analysis, thematic development, pragmatics, and conversation analysis. It was introduced by Zellig Harris in 1952 to analyze speech and writing beyond the sentence level and examine the relationship between language and behavior in context.

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Noor Asheeqa Zahwa Aziz
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35 views

Topic 1 Defining Discourse

Discourse analysis is the study of language use above the sentence level and in its proper context. It examines how language is used in specific discourses or contexts rather than as an isolated system. Discourse analysis focuses on describing language use through approaches like register analysis, thematic development, pragmatics, and conversation analysis. It was introduced by Zellig Harris in 1952 to analyze speech and writing beyond the sentence level and examine the relationship between language and behavior in context.

Uploaded by

Noor Asheeqa Zahwa Aziz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Topic 1:

Defining Discourse Analysis

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Discourse Discourse
Discourse?
studies? analysis?

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Discourse:
• “language in its context of use” (Flowerdew, 2013)

• When looking at language in use, it is language above the


sentence level => ‘extended text’

• This draws major distinction between Discourse and


generative linguistics (Chomsky) => contextualised vs.
decontextualised

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Contextualized Decontextualized
• Language is seen/analysed • Language is analysed as
on how it is used in specific separate entity from context
context
• Focus is on language
• It is concerned with more structure
than (just) grammar and
vocabulary. E.g. how people
participate in conversation

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A more restricted definition:
• The term “discourse” is used to refer to specific set of ideas
and how these ideas are articulated

• For example: the discourse of feminism (language used by


feminist), the discourse of parent-child (language used in
conversation between parents and their children) or political
discourse (language used by politicians)

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So, what is Discourse Analysis?
• Discourse Analysis (or recent term being used ‘Discourse
Studies’) is THE STUDY on how language is used in specific
discourse

• The term Discourse Studies is deemed to be more suitable


for methodological reason => analysis gives indication that
the area is only concerned with analysis; but actual
Discourse Analysis is also concerned with theory and
application

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But, to avoid confusion…
We can (loosely) say:

• Discourse Analysis refers to the actual


analysis (methodologically speaking)

• Discourse Studies refers to the discipline

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A bit of history
Discourse Analysis was introduced by Zellig Harris in 1952

It is introduced as a method to analyse speech and writing

Two interests of Harris through Discourse Analysis:


a. Examining language beyond sentence level
b. Looking at relationship between linguistic and non-
linguistic behaviour

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Zellig Harris
• Zellig Sabbetai Harris (1909-1992)
• American linguist, mathematician
and methodological scientist
• His original focus was on Semitic
languages, language group
originating from the North Africa
and Middle East
• His works include Mathematical
Structure of Language (1968)

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According to him;
“connected discourse occurs within a particular situation –
whether of a person speaking, or of a conversation, or of
someone sitting down occasionally over the period of months
to write a particular kind of book in a particular literary or
scientific tradition”

• There are typical ways of using language in particular


situations
• There are specific linguistic features associated to specific
discourse

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Discourse Structure and Discourse Function
• Or “form vs. function” (McCarthy, 1991)
• When doing Discourse Analysis, you may perform structural
analysis or functional analysis
• Discourse structure: the text (spoken/written) would be
broken down into component parts. The parts can be topics
or turns (spoken) or paragraphs or sentences (written)
• Discourse function: discourse analysts will consider particular
meanings associated what is said/written. Basically, it tries to
answer “how language is used?”

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• Examples of questions that function approach will be helpful
to answer:
a. How teachers use language in classroom?
b. What is the linguistic identity of specific group of people?
c. How politicians make persuasive speech?

• These kinds of question suggest Discourse Analysis to be a


qualitative approach rather than quantitative => the concern
is not to measure but to describe

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Example:
6 L tak (.) kakak pernah tengok dalam t- dalam cerite:
no TOA has watched on Ø on movie
no I have watched on t- on movie
((L looked at other direction))
7 M cerite ape?
movie what
what movie
8 L cerite:: pade zaman dahulu
movie once upon a time
movie (on) once upon a time
9 M pade zaman dahulu (.) yang macam upin ipin tu
once upon a time which similar TOA that
once upon a time,(one) similar to that upin ipin

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You will see Discourse Analysis in:
• Linguistics (closely related)
• Communication studies
• Educational studies
• Law
• Psychology
• Health communication

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Data for Discourse Analysis
• The key word is “TEXT”

• In Discourse Analysis, text is linguistic units in the form of


sentences/speech that are lengthened (more than one
sentence)

• It can be any sort of text in spoken or written form

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Examples of written text:
a. Textbooks
b. News reports
c. Letters
d. Emails

Examples of spoken text:


a. Casual conversation
b. Classroom lessons
c. Faculty meetings
d. Doctor’s consultation
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Approaches to Discourse Studies
In doing the analysis, various approaches can be adopted:
a. Register analysis
b. Thematic development
c. Pragmatics
d. Conversation Analysis
e. Genre Analysis
f. Corpus-based Discourse Analysis

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Discourse Studies focus on language in its
contexts of use
What is CONTEXT? (Hymes, 1972):
a. The physical or temporal setting
b. The participants (speaker/writer)
c. The purposes of participants
d. The communicative channel
e. The attitude of participants
f. The genre
g. Background knowledge
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• van Dijk (2008) stated contexts are subjective constructs that
develop over the course of an interaction; participants define
their contexts according to their subjective interpretations
=> hence, it is a sociocognitive phenomenon, not just social

• Bloomaert (2001) said, it is crucial to carefully select what is


relevant in the context when interpreting text

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