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Lecture 1 Discourse Analysis

This document discusses discourse analysis and the key concepts of discourse, text, and sentence. It defines discourse as language beyond the sentence, including stories, conversations, and lectures. Discourse analysis studies how stretches of language become meaningful in their full context. Text is a semantic unit realized through sentences, while discourse refers to language in use that considers participants and context. Discourse analysis examines coherence, or how parts relate, while text analysis focuses on cohesion through grammar.

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Hameed Al-zubeiry
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
239 views

Lecture 1 Discourse Analysis

This document discusses discourse analysis and the key concepts of discourse, text, and sentence. It defines discourse as language beyond the sentence, including stories, conversations, and lectures. Discourse analysis studies how stretches of language become meaningful in their full context. Text is a semantic unit realized through sentences, while discourse refers to language in use that considers participants and context. Discourse analysis examines coherence, or how parts relate, while text analysis focuses on cohesion through grammar.

Uploaded by

Hameed Al-zubeiry
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Discourse Analysis

Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry

Level 7

1435 - 1434
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Discourse Analysis

Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry

- Discourse in Relation to Linguistic Units


What is discourse? Sentence, Text, and Discourse

Discourse Analysis

Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry

Discourse in Relation to Linguistic Units


Words: - Morphology: word classes, word structure, word formation - Lexical semantics Sentences:

- Syntax: sentence structure


-Semantics: sentence meaning Discourse: - What is the structure of multi-sentence texts/discourse? - What is the meaning of multi-sentence texts/discourse?
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Discourse Analysis

Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry

What is discourse?
Discourse refers to any linguistic unit that consists of multiple sentences. For example: 1-I think you are wrong. You should take into account the point that.
2- Omer went to the store. He wanted to buy lunch. But it was closed.

Discourse is usually defined as language beyond the sentence . For example: story, conversation, lecture, chat., etc. Discourse analysis is generally defined as the study of

language in text and conversation.


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Discourse Analysis

Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry

Interpreting discourse
In linguistic description, we were concerned with the accurate representation of the forms and structures. However, as language-users, we are capable of more than

simply recognizing correct versus incorrect forms and


structures. For example: *My mother gived my one Rail and I went buy ice-cream, it was raining heavily, I run cross the road and reached the shop discovered no money in pocket.
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Discourse Analysis

Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry

To arrive at an interpretation, and to make our messages interpretable, we certainly rely on what we know about linguistic form and structure. But, as language-users, we

have more knowledge than that.

Discourse Analysis

Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry

Sentence, Text, and Discourse:


Sentence is the minimal unit of language activity. It is a group of words put in an acceptable order, expressing a unit of meaning. Consider the following sentence: - Dr. Hameed teaches us Discourse Analysis

Text is the maximal unit of a language activity. A text is a


semantic unit, which is realized in a sentence. Sometimes a single sentence may constitute a text. Proverbs are excellent

examples of single sentence texts, e.g.,


- People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
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Discourse Analysis

Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry

Discourse is language above the sentence or above the clause.

Most definitions of discourse refer explicitly or indirectly to language


in use, to participants, to non-linguistic factors (e.g. situational context, socio-cultural factors, our knowledge of the universe, etc.)

In fact, the study of discourse is the study of any aspect of language


use. Discourse analysis examines how stretches of language,

considered in their full textual, social, and psychological context,


become meaningful and unified for their users.

Discourse Analysis

Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry

Comparison between Text & Discourse


Text: Discourse:

is made up of sentences. - A text is made up of sentences having the property of grammatical cohesion. -Text Analysis: deals with cohesion.

is the use of such sentences. - A discourse is made up of utterances having the property of coherence. - Discourse analysis: investigates coherence.

Discourse Analysis

Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry

Text: Text is defined in terms

Discourse: Discourse is viewed as a

of its being a physical product.


Meaning is not found in

process.
Meaning is derived

text.

through the readers interaction with the text discourse.

Note: Discourse and Text can be used interchangeably


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Discourse Analysis

Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry

Text Analysis Vs Discourse Analysis

Text Analysis
Needs linguistic

Discourse Analysis
How texts relate to contexts of

analysis Interpretation is based on linguistic evidence Text analysts need the right knife to cut the right bread Different knives for different bread

situation and context of culture How texts are produced as a social practice What texts tell us about happenings, what people think, believe etc. How texts represent ideology (power struggle etc.)
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Discourse Analysis

Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry

Text & Discourse Analyses (Nunan, 1993)


Text analysis is the study of formal linguistic devices that

distinguish a text from random sentences.


Discourse analysts study these text-forming devices with

reference to the purposes and functions for which the


discourse was produced, and the context within which the

discourse was created. The ultimate goal is to show how the


linguistic elements enable language users to communicate.
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