discourse analysis discourse analysis danang october 2009 i introduction linguistic forms functions i 1 the functions of language i 2 spoken and written language i 3 sentence and utterance the func

Differences in form b/t spoken & written language  The norm of written language: highly. literate language[r]

DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Danang, October 2009

I Introduction: linguistic

forms & functions

I.1 The functions of language

I 2 Spoken and written language

I 3 Sentence and utterance

The functions of language

 DA cannot be limited to linguistic forms

independent of their purposes/functions

 2 terms to describe the major functions of language: transactional & interactional

 Other pairs of terms:

 representative/expressive

 referential/emotive

 ideational/interpersonal;

descriptive/social-interactive

I.1.1 The transactional view

 The most important function of

language: the communication of

information (Lyons; Bennett).

 The faculty of language has enabled the human race to develop diverse cultures.

 Language used to convey “factual or

propositional information”: primarily

I.1.2 The interactional view

 Language is used to establish and maintain social relationships: phatic in sociology & anthropology

 A lot of daily human interaction is

characterized by the primarily interpersonal than the primarily transactional use of

language

 Spoken & written language: which one is primarily transactional?

I.2.Spoken & written language

I.2.1 Manner of Production:

 What are the differences b/t the

speaker & the writer?

 Voice, paralinguistic cues

 How to control the communicative

production process

 What are the advantages for the writer/the speaker?

I.2.2 The representation of discourse:

Text

 Problems of representing spoken & written

language

 Text: a technical term: the verbal record of a communicative act

 Written text: may be presented in many ways

to serve various purposes of writers:

conventions, punctuation rules, layout,

paragraphing, lineation, genres, etc

 Spoken text:

• Simplest view: a tape-recording of a

communicative act

• The discourse analyst makes a written

transcription of a tape-recording

• The segmental record of spoken words:

normal orthographic conventions

• The suprasegmental record (esp rhythmic & temporal features): no standard conventions

 The transcription of a spoken text

should be presented using the

conventions of written language.

 The notion ‘Text’ may appear objective.

 The perception & interpretation of each text is essentially subjective.

 Different individuals pay attention to

different aspects of texts.

I.2.5 Relationship b/t speech & writing

 How do you interpret this statement:

‘The major differences between speech and writing derive from the fact that

one is essentially transitory and the

other is designed to be permanent.’

(Brown & Yule, p 13)

I.2.6 Differences in form b/t spoken & written language

 The norm of written language: highly literate language.

 The norm of spoken language: the

speech of those who have not spent

many years exposed to written

language.

 Features that characterize spoken

language and written language?(15-17)

I.3 Sentence & utterance

 Non-technically: sentences are written & utterances are spoken

 Lyons’ view: distinction b/t ‘system

sentences and text sentences’

 In DA, the term ‘sentence’ is used in the sense of ‘text sentence’, not ‘system

sentence’

 Differences b/t a discourse analyst & a

sentence grammarian (p 19-20)

 I.3.1 On ‘data’

 I.3.2 Rules versus regularities

A regularity in discourse: a linguistic feature which occurs in a definable environment with

a significant frequency

DA: a set of techniques, rather than a

theoretically predetermined system for the writing of ‘linguistic rules’

The discourse analyst’s aim: to discover &

describe regularities

I.3.3 Product versus process

 Sentence-as-object view

 Text-as-product view

 Discourse-as-process view

I.3.4 On ‘Context’

 Acceptability of a language string