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Dicourse Analysis

Critical Discourse Analysis examines how language beyond the sentence level is used in social practices and how it can reinforce or challenge beliefs and assumptions. There are several key dimensions of discourse analyzed including cohesion, coherence, speech events, conversation analysis, turn-taking, and implicatures. Background knowledge, schemas, and scripts also influence how language and texts are interpreted.

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Bhava Sharma
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72 views21 pages

Dicourse Analysis

Critical Discourse Analysis examines how language beyond the sentence level is used in social practices and how it can reinforce or challenge beliefs and assumptions. There are several key dimensions of discourse analyzed including cohesion, coherence, speech events, conversation analysis, turn-taking, and implicatures. Background knowledge, schemas, and scripts also influence how language and texts are interpreted.

Uploaded by

Bhava Sharma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Critical Discourse Analysis

Discourse analysis (DA), or discourse


studies, is a general term for a number of
approaches to analyze written, vocal, or sign
language use.
1 How we understand speakers who
communicate?
2.How we make sense of what we read
3. How we take part in that complex activity
called conversation?

What we undertake is known as discourse


analysis.
Defining Discourse
• DISCOURSE: is usually defined as ‘language
beyond the sentence’
• In a broader sense discourse is
‘communication’ which includes: beliefs,
assumptions, common sense and background
knowledge.
• Statements…..challenged or reinforced!!!
• Language beyond the level of a sentence
• Language behaviours linked to social practices
• Language as a system of thought
Dimensions of Discourse
• Cohesion
• Coherence
• Speech Events
• Conversation Analysis
• Turn Taking
• The Cooperative Principle
• Hedges
• Implicatures
• Background Knowledge
• Schemas and script
• COHESION: Connectedness
My father once bought a Bentley. He did it by saving every penny
he could. That car would be worth a fortune today. However,he
sold it to help pay for my college education. Sometimes I think I’d
rather have the Bentley.
There are connections.
My father bought a Bentley. The car was driven by the police was
red. That colour doesn’t suit her. She consists of three letters.
However, a letter is not as fast as a telephone call.
• COHERENCE: Everything fitting together well.
This feature does not exist in word or structures but
something that exists in people.
People arrive at an interpretation that is in line with
their experience of the way the world is.
Her: That’s the telephone.
Him: I’m in the bath.
Her: O.K
No cohesive ties; language users have a lot of knowledge that is not
just linguistic knowledge.
• SPEECH EVENTS: Debate, interview, discussions,
argument, lecture.
There is a lot of variation in what people say and do in
different circumstances. We would have to into account
the specific roles of speaker and hearer and their
relationship(s). Friends, strangers, men, women, young,
old, equal or unequal status.
All of these factors have an influence on what is said and
how it is said.
In different cultures the structure of conversation differs.
• CONVERSATION ANALYSIS: Conversation can be
described as an activity in which two or more people
take turns at speaking.
• TURN-TAKING: Different expectations from same
conversation; different strategies of participation in
conversation.
A conversation is considered complete by signaling a
completion point. At times speakers are considered rude or
shy if one speaker cuts in or if one speaker continues to
wait for an oppurtunity to occur and none seems to occur.
If the normal expectation is the completion points
are marked by the end of a sentence and a pause;
to keep your turn avoid having those two markers
occur together.
A: that’s their favourite because they…..enjoy French food
and when they were….in France they couldnt believe it
that…..you know…that they had better meals back home.
One can use connectors: and, then, so, but
Filled in pauses: er, em, uh, ah
We organize these subtle indicators as way of
organizing our turns and negotiating the
intricate business of social interaction via
Language.
THE CO-OPERATIVE PRINCIPLE:
Most conversations, participants are cooperating with each other.
It is defined as:
Make your conversational contribution such as is required, at the stage at
which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in
which you are engaged.[Paul Grice]
Four principles that govern the cooperative principle{Gricean Maxims}:
1.The Quantity Maxim: contribution as informative as is required; no more or
less, than is required.
2. The Quality Maxim: do not say anything which you believe to be false or
you lack adequate evidence.
3.The Relation Maxim: be relevant.
4.The Manner Maxim: be clear, brief and orderly.
HEDGES: These are words or phrases used to indicate
that we are not really sure that what we are saying is
sufficiently correct or complete.
They help us to convey what we think or feel(not know);
is possible or likely(not certain); may or could(not must).
As far as I know…
Now, correct me if I’m wrong…
I am not absolutely sure, but….
I think Its possible that Jackson may be guilty.
IMPLICATURES (ability to grasp one meaning
from a sentence that literally means something
else)
Sugandha: Are you coming to the party tonight?
Radhika: I’ve got exam tomorrow.
Exam tomorrow Study tonight

No time for party


BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE:

John was on his way to school last Friday.


He was really worried about the math lesson.
Last week he had been unable to control the
class.
It was unfair of a math teacher to leave him in
charge.
After all, it is not normal part of janitor’s duties.
It provides us an insight into the ways we build
interpretations of what we read by using a lot
more than is presented in the word on the page.
We actually create what the text is about, based
on our expectations of what normally happens.
SCHEMAS AND SCRIPT:
Schema is a general term for conventional knowledge
structure that exists in memory.
Classroo Supermar Factory
m schema ket schema
schema

Script is essentially dynamic schema. Instead of the set


of typical fixed features in a schema, a script has a
series of conventional actions that take place.
Going to
Going Going
the
To the parlour/ to the
dentist barber movies
Our understanding of what we read is not only
based on what we see on the page(language
structure) but also on other things we have in
mind(knowledge structures).

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