What is Discourse Analysis?
Overall, discourse analysis provides insights into how language functions as a social and cultural tool, shaping and reflecting the ways in which individuals and groups communicate, negotiate meaning, and maintain power relations.
Talk as a social activity
Language Teaching Implications
Classroom Dynamics vs. Casual Conversations
Understanding Turn-taking, Adjacency Pairs, and Politeness
Adherence to Conversation Rules and Norms
Insights from Ethnomethodology
Discourse Analysts
Ethnomethodology insights
norms
regular patterns
Loss of control perception
Shift to observing behavior over structure
Challenges in Transcript
Problems with multiple speakers
More or less structured
Conversation Structure and Dynamics
Jozef and Chris' Conversation Dynamics
Overlapping
Control, Turn-taking Rights
Predictability
Classroom Talk
Ethnomethodology
Turn-taking
Adjacency pairs
Openings/Closings
Observing real data and behavior
Ethnomethodological Approach
Extract Analysis
Multiple speakers
Disruptions
(e.g., barman)
Overlapping talk
Boundary Markers
Features of Exchange Model
Casual Talk among Equals
Control and Monitoring challenges
Complexity of Discourse
Rigidity in Formal Situations
Initiating Responding, Foil Mapping
Predictability of Roles and Turns
Text and interpretation
illocutionary acts
They are individual clauses, sentences and paragraphs
text segments Compared or contrasted
matching relationships
repetition and syntactic parallelism
Draw attention to a comparison or contrast
using the same syntax in two or more clauses
Regularly occurring functional relationships between bits of text,
They can be phrases, clauses, sentences or groups of sentences.
They are known as textual segments.
recognize the textual pattern
semantic links
cognitive links in the text
interpret the ties and give meaning to them
Cohesive markers are no exception
chain related elements
Subt they create links across sentence boundaries and pairs.ópico
linguistic signals of semantic functions
Conversations outside the classroom.
evaluate input and output in the teaching/learning process.
the use of descriptive categories
such as exchange and its subcomponents
initiation-response-follow-up.
Sequences here that form meaningful exchanges
sometimes they inform each other and recognize information.
The sequence begins and ends
But their conversation is not disorganized
their degree of struc- turedness
they have a structure
They seem "free" and unstructured
but it is not the 'real' world of conversation
where pupils have very limited rights as speaker
where teachers ask questions to which they already know the answer
the traditional classroom
where roles are rigidly defined and the patterns of initiation
Written Discourse Analysis
Grammar and Sentence Structuring
Cohesion through
Conjunction
Ellipsis
Pronominalisation
Implications for Paragraphs and Whole Texts
Regularities in Well-Formed Texts
Implications for Language Teaching
Observing Grammatical Regularities
Insights from Written Discourse Analysis
Cohesive Devices and Grammatical Cohesion
Structuring of Texts
Identifying Norms
and rules
Characteristics of Written Texts
Hierarchy of Units
Recurring Principles
Well-Formed Sentences
Thoughtful Composition
Problems with Spoken Transcripts
Predictability in Expression
Sentence Structure
Time for Reflection
Absence of Chaos in Simultaneous Speech
Larger patterns in text
Importance of Signalling Devices:
Writers and readers need to be aware of these cues for clear communication.
Emphasize the role of cues like conjunctions and lexical references.
Hoey's Analysis of Text Patterns:
Recognize grammatical and word choices that signify these patterns.
Refer to Hoey's detailed study on different text structures.
Example - Problem-Solution Format:
Illustrate how this structure is frequently found in various contexts.
Break down a simple text with a common pattern: situation, problem, solution, and evaluation.
Understanding Text Patterns:
Patterns help readers interpret and navigate through information.
Explore larger recurring structures in texts.
