Discourse Analysis Predmetni nastavnik: doc. dr Valentina Boskovic Markovic e-mail: vboskovic@sinergija.edu.ba

Definition First mentioned in The Handbook of Discourse Analysis (1985) by T.van Dijk Discourse- the use of written or spoken communication or a debate in a social context Discourse analysis- the colloquial, cultural and human use of a language (connected to sociolinguistics)

Definition "the discipline devoted to the investigation of the relationship between form and function in verbal communication" (Introduction to Discourse Studies, 2004) the study of the rules governing appropriate language use in communicative situations (Dictionary.com), not grammar usage sometimes defined as the analysis of language 'beyond the sentence'

Turn-taking Conversation is an enterprise in which one person speaks, and another listens. Discourse analysts who study conversation note that speakers have systems for determining when one person's turn is over and the next person's turn begins. This exchange of turns or 'floors' is signaled by such linguistic means as intonation, pausing, and phrasing.

Re-framing A way to talk about going back and re-interpreting the meaning of the first sentence. Frame analysis is a type of discourse analysis that asks, What activity are speakers engaged in when they say this? What do they think they are doing by talking in this way at this time?

Discourse markers 'Discourse markers' is the term linguists give to the little words like 'well', 'oh', 'but', and 'and' that break our speech up into parts and show the relation between parts. 'Oh' prepares the hearer for a surprising or just-remembered item, and 'but' indicates that sentence to follow is in opposition to the one before.

Speech acts theory Speech act analysis asks not what form the utterance takes but what it does. Saying "I now pronounce you man and wife" enacts a marriage. Studying speech acts such as complimenting allows discourse analysts to ask what counts as a compliment, who gives compliments to whom, and what other function they can serve.

Speech acts theory There are also cultural differences; in India, politeness requires that if someone compliments one of your possessions, you should offer to give the item as a gift, so complimenting can be a way of asking for things Women are more likely to give compliments (D. Tannen)

Critical discourse analysis (CDA) a branch of linguistics that seeks to understand how and why certain texts affect readers and hearers

Examples How do doctors speak? How do teachers speak in the classroom and in their private life? How do children learn the communication rules?

Examples A: That’s the telephone. B: I’m in the bath. A: OK The 1st speaker makes a request, the 2nd speaker states why he/she cannot fulfill the request. A: You really love me? B: I like Ferrari, college football, and things that go really fast. The 2nd speaker does not want to answer the question.

Type of analysis Text analysis- the analysis of organizations of words, their choice and usage (Fairclough, 1995) Qualitative type of research (versus quantitative)