OVERVIEW OF DISCOURSE
ANALYSIS
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The study of the relationship between
language and the contexts in which it is
used.
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To study language in natural contexts
DISCIPLINES
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LINGUISTICS - Linguistics is the scientific study of language, which can be
theoretical or applied. It includes study of language structure (grammar) and
meaning (semantics). The study of grammar encompasses morphology (formation
and alteration) of words and syntax (the rules that determine the way words combine
into phrases and sentences). Also a part of this field are phonology, the study of
sound systems and abstract sound units, and phonetics, which is concerned with the
actual properties of speech sounds (phones), non-speech sounds, and how they are
produced and perceived.
Applied linguistics puts linguistic theories into practice in areas such as foreign
language teaching, speech therapy, translation and speech pathology.
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SEMIOTICS-Study of sign processes (semiosis). It includes the study of how meaning
is constructed and understood. This includes:
Semantics: Relation between signs and the things they refer to, their denotata.
Syntactics: Relation of signs to each other in formal structures.
Pragmatics: Relation of signs to their impacts on those who use them
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PSYCHOLOGY
ANTHROPOLOGY
SOCIOLOGY
STUDY LANGUAGE IN USE
Variety of written texts
 Spoken data
- classroom talks
- Social activity
- Institutionalised talks
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BRITISH DA
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Influenced by M.A.K. Halliday & Sinclair and Coulthard
Language emphasizes social functions or themes
Focus on teacher-pupil talk
-patient interaction
-service encounters
-interviews
-debates
-business negotiations
-monologues
American DA
Initiated by Gumperz & Hymes
 Conversation analysis
 Close observation of the behaviour of
participants in talks and the emerging
patterns
 Terms like turn taking, politeness, facepreserving phenomena,
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DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Has grown into a wide range and
heterogeneous disciplines which find its
unity in the description of language above
the sentence and an interest in contexts
and cultural influences which affect
language in use

Relevant in applied linguistics, SLL, SLT &
Teaching in general.
PURPOSE OF DA
To converse meaningfully in various
contexts
 To function in a society
 To participate in a conversation
 To organize/structure speech texts
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COMPONENTS OF DISCOURSE
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Grammar-connections & links
Lexis-connections & links
Intonation-affect interpretations
Contexts-natural (ungrammatical+pauses+fillers)
-artificial (constructed-scripts of drama)
Forms & functions (how we interpret grammatical forms
depends on linguistics & situationseg: Students: Madam, tell us about the exam.
Teacher: Have I got an exam for you!
(Ex-page 9 (McCarthy, 1990)
Speech Acts( Austin & Searle)
 Discourse Analysis is fundamentally concerned with the
relationship between L & the contexts of its use
 Seen as performing a certain act
eg: a request, an instruction,
an exemplifications.
 Turn taking
 Framing moves (verbal signals to show opening &
closing-eg. Right then, ok, etc)
 Transaction (a sequence of exchange)
Initiation response
follow-up
(question) (answer)
(comment)
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WRITTEN DISCOURSE
Cohesion- links between clauses & sentences in
a text
 Coherence-something created by the reader in
the act of reading the text
(eg. Nik enjoys watching ‘dikir barat’. He was
born in Kelantan)
 Interpretation-depends on readers schemata to
make inferences
 Larger patterns in texts
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Some Approaches
System and ritual constraints
 Scripts
 Speech Acts and speech events analysis
 Rhetorical analysis
 Rhetorical structure analysis
 Cohesion analysis
 Mode and syntax
 Contextual analysis
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In-class Discussion
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In your understanding, what is
communicative competence?
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How does discourse analysis be applicable
to promote communicative competence?
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In what ways might discourse analysis be
beneficial to language teaching?