Introduction to Discourse Analysis

Summary

This lecture introduces discourse analysis, a method for understanding spoken or written text by examining its context. It explains that discourse encompasses everything that gives meaning to text, including speaker, context, and time. The lecture also discusses the importance of analyzing discourse to uncover speakers' intentions and the two types of text: spoken and written. Examples are given to illustrate how discourse analysis can be applied to determine meaning in conversations and answer questions about dialogues. Various approaches to discourse analysis are mentioned, including pragmatics, social linguistics, conversation analysis, and systemic functional linguistics.

Takeaways

• 📚 Discourse analysis is the study of how meaning is created in language beyond the sentence level.
• 🗣️ It involves looking at the speaker, the text, and the context in which communication occurs.
• 💬 Discourse can be spoken or written, including utterances, sentences, paragraphs, and more.
• 🔍 The goal of discourse analysis is to understand the speaker's intention and the meaning of the text in context.
• 🌐 Discourse analysis considers various factors like time, context, and social interactions to interpret meaning.
• 🗣️ Spoken text includes dialogues and utterances, which can have multiple interpretations depending on the context.
• ✍️ Written text encompasses any form of written communication, such as letters, books, or digital messages.
• 🧩 Discourse analysis helps in understanding the correct meaning of words or phrases by analyzing the surrounding context.
• 📊 It can be applied to solve problems or answer questions based on a given text or dialogue.
• 🔑 There are several approaches to discourse analysis, including pragmatics, sociolinguistics, conversation analysis, and systemic functional linguistics.
• 🔍 These approaches help to uncover the intended meaning of language by examining the function, context, and social aspects of communication.

Q & A

What is discourse analysis?

Discourse analysis is the process of understanding spoken or written language by paying attention to everything that gives meaning to the text.

What is the difference between spoken and written text?

Spoken text is language that is spoken, like an utterance, while written text is language that is in written form, such as a book or a document.

How can discourse analysis help in understanding the meaning of a text?

Discourse analysis helps by considering the context, social aspects, conversation patterns, and the functions of language to find the intended meaning of the speaker.

What is the role of context in discourse analysis?

Context plays a crucial role in discourse analysis as it provides the setting in which the language is used, helping to determine the intended meaning of the text.

Can you provide an example of how discourse analysis is used in the script?

Yes, in the script, the example of analyzing the phrase 'what's up' in different contexts (classroom, casual conversation) shows how the meaning can change based on the discourse.

What are the approaches to discourse analysis mentioned in the script?

The approaches mentioned are pragmatics, social linguistics, conversation analysis, systemic functional linguistics, and ethnography of communication.

How does conversation analysis contribute to understanding discourse?

Conversation analysis contributes by examining turn-taking patterns, the length of speakers' turns, and other interactive aspects of discourse to uncover the intended meaning.

What is the significance of systemic functional linguistics in discourse analysis?

Systemic functional linguistics is significant as it views language not just as a form but also as a function, helping to understand how different linguistic structures can convey different meanings.

How can discourse analysis be applied to an English test?

Discourse analysis can be applied to an English test by analyzing the context and language used in dialogues to infer the correct answers to questions about speakers' identities or the settings of conversations.

What is the importance of understanding the speaker's intention in discourse analysis?

Understanding the speaker's intention is important in discourse analysis because it helps to accurately interpret the meaning behind the text, which is crucial for effective communication.

How does the script illustrate the application of discourse analysis in identifying a speaker's role?

The script illustrates this by analyzing dialogues containing keywords like 'mail', 'package', 'prescription', and 'medicine' to deduce that the speakers are likely postal workers or pharmacists.