Discourse Structure
● How do we organize our talking and writing?
● Discourse has a structure, like the beginning, middle, and end of a story. ● Imagine you're
building something with blocks. With words, we also build something—it's like a structure. In
a story, there's a beginning, middle, and end. It's like how a story starts, goes on, and then
finishes. That's how we organize our talking and writing.
Understanding Structure
● Think of a story you know. It has a beginning (when it starts), middle (the main part), and
end (how it finishes).
● Think about a story you know. It begins when the story starts, then there's the main part
in the middle, and finally, it ends. That's how stories are structured. We're going to learn
more about how to understand this structure in the coming weeks. It's a bit like building
with Lego blocks, but instead of plastic pieces, we use words to make our stories and
conversations.
Example: A Conversation
● Imagine a chat with a friend. It starts with greetings, then we talk about our day, and
finally, we say goodbye. That's a conversation structure!
Practice Time
Let's practice analyzing the structure of a short conversation together.
● Person A: Good morning! How was your weekend?
● Person B: Hi! My weekend was great. I went hiking with some friends on Saturday. We hiked up to a beautiful waterfall. ●
Person A: Wow, that sounds amazing! Tell me more about it.
● Person B: Well, the hike was a bit challenging, but the view at the top was totally worth it. We took some photos, had a
picnic, and enjoyed the fresh air.
● Person A: It sounds like a perfect day! Did you do anything on Sunday?
● Person B: On Sunday, I decided to relax at home. I read a book, watched a movie, and just took it easy. ●
Person A: That sounds like a balanced weekend – adventure and relaxation! Thanks for sharing.
In this conversation, you can analyze its structure by identifying the different parts, such as the greeting, the description of
the weekend activities, and the closing remarks. This helps you understand how discourse is organized in everyday
conversations.
Sample Conversation:
● A: Hi! How was your weekend?
● B: Oh, it was great! I went hiking in the mountains with some friends. ●
A: That sounds amazing! Did you see any wildlife up there?
● B: Yes, we spotted a few deer, and there was a beautiful waterfall too. ●
A: Wow, that must have been a fantastic experience.
● B: It really was. How about you? How was your weekend?
● A: Not as exciting as yours. I just relaxed at home and caught up on some reading. ●
B: Sometimes a quiet weekend is just what you need, right?
Analysis:
● Opening and Greeting: The conversation starts with a friendly greeting and a common question about the
weekend, which is a typical way to begin casual conversations.
● Sharing Activities: Person B shares that they went hiking with friends, which is the main topic of the
conversation. Person A expresses interest by asking about wildlife, which continues the discussion of the
hiking trip.
● Description and Elaboration: Person B provides additional information by mentioning that they saw deer
and a waterfall during the hike, adding depth to the conversation.
● Acknowledgment and Expression: Person A responds with enthusiasm, acknowledging the exciting nature
of the experience.
● Reciprocal Question: Person B reciprocates by asking about Person A's weekend, showing interest in their
activities.
● Sharing and Empathy: Person A shares a quieter weekend at home and Person B responds with empathy,
recognizing that sometimes a calm weekend can be enjoyable.
Conclusion
● This short conversation follows a typical conversational pattern where participants take
turns, express interest in each other's experiences, and maintain a friendly and engaging
tone. It showcases how discourse analysis can help break down the structure of a
conversation to understand how it flows and how different elements work together to
create meaningful communication.
Structural discourse analysis
● Structural discourse analysis focuses on the formal structure of language, such as the
grammar, syntax, and semantics of text. It is concerned with how language is organized
and how different parts of a text relate to each other. Structural discourse analysts often
use tools such as conversation analysis and corpus linguistics to study language in use.
Grammar, Syntax, Semantics
● Grammar is the set of rules that govern the structure of a language. It includes rules for word
formation, word order, and sentence structure. Grammar is important because it allows us to
communicate effectively with each other.
● Syntax is the branch of grammar that deals with the arrangement of words in sentences. It is
concerned with how words, phrases, and clauses are combined to form grammatically correct
sentences. Syntax is important because it allows us to create sentences that have a clear and
unambiguous meaning.
● Semantics is the branch of linguistics that deals with the meaning of words and sentences. It is
concerned with how language is used to convey meaning. Semantics is important because it
allows us to understand what others are saying to us and to communicate our own thoughts and
ideas effectively.
Example
Here is an example of how grammar, syntax, and semantics work together to create a meaningful sentence:
● Sentence: The cat sat on the mat.
● Grammar: The sentence is grammatically correct because it follows the rules of English grammar. The
subject of the sentence is "cat," the verb is "sat," and the object is "mat."
● Syntax: The syntax of the sentence is correct because the words are arranged in the correct order. The
subject comes before the verb, and the verb comes before the object.
● Semantics: The sentence has a clear and unambiguous meaning. The meaning of the sentence is that
the cat is sitting on the mat.
Example
Here is an example of a sentence that is grammatically correct but semantically
incorrect: ● Sentence: The colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
● This sentence is grammatically correct because it follows the rules of English grammar. However, it is
semantically incorrect because it does not make sense. Colorless green ideas cannot sleep
furiously.
● In conclusion, grammar, syntax, and semantics are all important aspects of language. Grammar
provides the rules that govern the structure of language, syntax deals with the arrangement of
words in sentences, and semantics deals with the meaning of words and sentences. Together, these
three aspects of language allow us to communicate effectively with each other.
Functional discourse analysis
● Functional discourse analysis focuses on the communicative function of language, such as
the way language is used to achieve different goals, such as informing, persuading, or
entertaining. Functional discourse analysts are interested in how the context of a
situation influences the way language is used. They often use tools such as critical
discourse analysis and ethnographic methods to study language in use.
Key Differences
● The following table summarizes the key differences between structural and
functional approaches to discourse analysis:
Examples
Here are some examples of how structural and functional discourse analysis can be used to
study the same text:
Text:
● President Biden: The State of the Union is strong. Because the American people are
strong.
Structural discourse
analysis: A structural discourse analysis of this text might
focus on the following:
1. The grammar of the sentence is simple and straightforward.
2. The subject of the sentence is "President Biden," which gives him a position of authority. 3.
The predicate of the sentence is "The State of the Union is strong," which is a positive
statement about the country.
4. The repetition of the word "strong" at the end of the sentence emphasizes the president's
message.
Functional discourse analysis:
A functional discourse analysis of this text might focus on the following:
1. The president is using this statement to persuade the American people that the country is
in good shape.
2. He is using the context of the State of the Union address to give his statement more weight.
3. He is using the repetition of the word "strong" to create a sense of optimism and unity.