Discourse Analysis Activity No. 1 PDF

MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
Graduate School
2 Chanyungco St. Sta. Elena, Marikina City 1800
JOEL T. FERNANDEZ June 20, 2020

MAT-Technical English
Activity No. 1
DISCOURSE AND DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
I. What is Discourse?
A. Discourse is one of the four systems of language, the others being
vocabulary, grammar and phonology. Discourse has various definitions but
one way of thinking about it is as any piece of extended language, written or
spoken, that has unity and meaning and purpose. One possible way of
understanding 'extended' is as language that is more than one sentence.
Example:
Something as short as two phrases in a conversation or as long as an entire
extended essay are both examples of discourse and both show various
features of discourse.
In the classroom…
Areas of written and spoken discourse looked at in language classrooms
include various features of cohesion and coherence, discourse markers,
paralinguistic features (body language), conventions and ways of taking turns.
(teachingenglish.org.uk)
B. David Crystal defines discourse as a continuous “stretch of language larger

than a sentence often constituting a coherent unit” 4. He contrasts ‘discourse’
within linguistics to the use of the term ‘text’ and says:
Discourse analysis focuses on the structure of naturally occurring
spoken language, as found in such ‘discourses’ as conversation,
interviews, commentaries and speeches. Text analysis focuses on
the structure of written language, as found in such ‘texts’ as essays,
notices, road signs and chapters. But this distinction is not clear-
cut, and there have been many other uses of these labels. In
particular, ‘discourse’ and ‘text’ can be used in a much broader
sense to include all language units with a definable communicative
function, whether spoken or written. Some scholars talk about
‘spoken or written discourse’, others about ‘spoken or written text.5
{Emphasis in original)
II. What is Discourse Analysis?

A. Discourse analysis examines patterns of language across texts and considers the
relationship between language and the social and cultural contexts in which it is
used. Discourse analysis also considers the ways that the use of language presents
different views of the world and different understandings. It examines how the use
of language is influenced by relationships between participants as well as the effects
the use of language has upon social identities and relations. It also considers how
views of the world, and identities, are constructed through the use of discourse.
(Brian Paltridge, 2012)
B. Discourse Analysis is the investigation of knowledge about language beyond the

word, clause, phrase and sentence levels. All of them are the basic building blocks
of successful communication. In discourse analysis researchers have to infiltrate
language as a whole beyond the micro level of words and sentences and look at the
entire body of communication produced in a given / particular situation. Discourse
analysis refers ‘to attempts to study the organization of language above the
sentence, or above the clause, and therefore to study larger linguistic units, such as
conversational exchanges or written texts’ (Stubbs 1983:1). However, Michael
Stubbs redefines Discourse in his later work as ‘It is therefore more accurate to say
that text and discourse analysis studies language in context: how words and phrases
fit into both longer texts, and also social contexts of use’ (Stubbs 2001a:5).
III. What is Text? How does it differ from Discourse?
A. In everyday popular use it might be said that the term text is restricted to written
language, while discourse is restricted to spoken language. However, modern Linguistics
has introduced a concept of text that includes every type of utterance; therefore, a text
may be a magazine article, a television interview, a conversation or a cooking recipe, just
to give a few examples.
Crystal (1997) defines Text Linguistics as “the formal account of the linguistic principles
governing the structure of texts.” De Beaugrande and Dressler (1981) present a broader
view; they define text as a communicative event that must satisfy the following seven
criteria:
1) Cohesion, which has to do with the relationship between text and syntax.
Phenomena such as conjunction, ellipsis, anaphora, cataphora or recurrence
are basic for cohesion.
2) Coherence, which has to do with the meaning of the text. Here we may refer to
elements of knowledge or to cognitive structures that do not have a linguistic
realization but are implied by the language used, and thus influence the
reception of the message by the interlocutor.
3) Intentionality, which relates to the attitude and purpose of the speaker or writer.
4) Acceptability, which concerns the preparation of the hearer or reader to assess
the relevance or usefulness of a given text.
5) Informativity, which refers to the quantity and quality of new or expected
information.
6) Situationality, which points to the fact that the situation in which the text
produced plays a crucial role in the production and reception of the message.
7) Intertextuality, which refers to two main facts: a) a text is always related to
some preceding or simultaneous discourse; b) texts are always linked and
grouped in particular text varieties or genres (e.g.: narrative, argumentative,
descriptive, etc.) by formal criteria.
Although many linguists have given different meanings to these two terms, there is no
clear cut definition between the two. Some also use these two terms as synonyms.
For example, Widdowson (1973) describes that text is made up of sentences and have
the property of cohesion whereas discourse is made up of utterances and have the
property of coherence. But, these definitions have become ambiguous in his later works
as he describes discourse as something that is made up of sentences, and omits any
mention of text. Text refers to any object that can be read. Discourse has different
definitions depending on the context. In a broad and general sense, discourse is
considered to be the use of spoken and written language in a social context.
REFERENCES
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/discourse
https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/32966/6/06_chapter%201.pdf
Paltridge, Brian. Discourse analysis: an introduction – 2nd ed. Bloomsbury
Academic. 2012
https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-text-and-vs-discourse/

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What are the main differences between discourse and text?

What are the main criteria for a text according to De Beaugrande and Dressler?

MARIKINA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE

JOEL T. FERNANDEZ June 20, 2020

B. David Crystal defines discourse as a continuous “stretch of language larger

II. What is Discourse Analysis?

B. Discourse Analysis is the investigation of knowledge about language beyond the

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