Work for ESPE University

2. WHAT IS DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ?
• It refers to the study of the relationships between
language and the contexts in which it is used.
• It started to work in the 1960s and early 1970.
• Discourse analysts study language in use:
Written texts and Spoken data

3. 1.- A BRIEF HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
1.- Zellig Harris (1952) Distribution of Linguistic element s and the links between
the texts and its social situation.
2.- Dell Hymes (1964) Sociological perspective , speech in its social setting.
3.- Austin (1962) Searle (1969) Grice(1975) study of language as social action.,
speeh-act theory , conversational maxims and pragmatics ( study of meaning in
context)
4.- Halliday (1973) Influence British Discourse Analysis, social functions of language
and thematic and informational structure of speech and writing.
5.- Sinclair and Coulthard (1975) Important in Britain description of teacher-pupil
talk, based on hierarchy of discourse units. Doctor-patient interaction,
interviews, monologues ,etc.
6.- Gumperz and Hymes (1972) American discourse , observation of groups of
people communicating in natural settings . Story tellling, greeting rituals, and
verbal duels.
7.- Goffman (1976,1979) Sacks, Jefferson(1974) Conversational norms, turn taking,
spoken interactions.

4. 2.- FORM AND FUNCTION
The discourse can be interpreted according to the form and the function of
the utterances.
The grammatical form and the communicative of the utterances can change
the meaning.
There are variables that can change the utterances, for example:
• The toune contour ( the direction of the pitch, weather it rises or falls)
• The voice (pitch level)
Discourse Analysis is interested in the different types of spoken
interactions like:
Phone callas, buying in shops, interviews for a job, etc.
FORM AND FUNCTION MJUST BE SEPARATED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN DISCOURSE.

5. 3.- SPEECH ACTS AND DISCOURSE
STRUCTURES
SPEECH ACTS: when we say that a particular bit
of speech or writing is a request, an instruction
or and exemplification, we concentrate in how
the listener or supposed to react.
• We can interpret the speech acts in a form when
it is written but in a different form when it is
spoken.
• The context of the situation must be analyzed
first.

6. 4.- THE SCOPE OF DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
• DISCOURSE ANALYISIS is interested in the
description and analysis of the written and
spoken interaction.
• It goes beyond a simple intuition , prejudgment
of grammar aspects, vocabulary or intonation
patterns.
• This study is deeper and concentrates in
natural discourse.

7. 5.- SPOKEN DISCOURSE: MODELS OF ANALYSIS
• One form of analyzing is the FRAMING MOVE and TRANSACTIONS
• Framing move refers to the words use in order to interact in conversations ,
for example: okay, right, so, etc.
• The two framing moves, together with the question and answer sequence that
falls between them are called Transactions.
• It is given in classrooms.

8. 6.- CONVERSATIONS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
The real conversations are not in the classrooms, rather they are outside
them.
Real situations-
Conversations outside the classroom vary in the degree of
structuredesness.
The difference is the kinds of speech –act levels

9. 7.- TALK AS A SOCIAL ACTIVITY
• People is interested in how cooperate to the Discourse or conversation
rather than building elaborate models of structures as would be given in
a classroom.
• The flow of the conversation is natural according t the context.
• Apparently, there is not organization but it is how takes a social activity
with a real conversation.

10. 8.- WRITTEN DISCOURSE
• The writer has time to think what to write.
• The sentences are usually well formed.
• There are some grammatical regularities observable for
writing sentences, paragraphs and texts.
• Cohesion is one of the regularities to be seen when
writing texts.
• Example: Carlos is my brother. He is 28 years old. The
cohesion here is Carlos and He.
• Besides this phrases have coherence because the
second sentence is giving information about Carlos.

11. 9.- TEXT AND INTERPRETATION
Interpretation is making sense of a text.
It depends on what the reader understand and what the author put in the
text.
The interpretation can be seen as a set of procedures.
The reader has to:
• Make inferences
• Asses constantly
• Perceive the goals and aim of the text.
• Make a mental work to perceive the cohesiveness and coherence of the
text.

12. 10.- LARGER PATTERNS IN TEXT
• Larger patterns may be found in texts and are objects of interpretation.
• Larger patterns like problem-solution are culturally ingrained , but it is
found in sequence of textual segments.
• The sequence ,situation –problem-response-evaluation may be varied.