Lesson Two

DISCOURSE ANALYSIS: WHY SHOULD I

LEARN YOU?
(Reasons for learning DA from different Perspectives)

Dr. Andi Kaharuddin, M.Hum

 There are three perspectives
used to explain the reasons for
the studying DA i.e. Academic,
Pragmatical, and Pedagogical
Perspective.
 Academic Perspective
Fundamental things to know regarding DA
• Discourse analysis is an interdisciplinary study which has very close relationships with
linguistics, sociology, antropology, psychology, philosophy, communication and education.
• DA leads students to the exploration and investigation of socially-used texts and talks.
• Wood (2014) is of the opinion that through discourse analysis, the students engage with
the study of how, in social interaction, human beings convey their meaning not as an
individualistic enterprise but as a result of dynamic and ongoing negotiation with their
interlocutors.
• This analysis is very useful for the students to gain knowledge and understanding of the
functions of language in social life, and the role that language plays in the construction and
shaping of social relationships.
• Therefore, students of the departments of linguistics, sociology, antropology, psychology,
philosophy, communication as well as education in colleges or universities are frequently
required to study discourse analysis as one of their academic subjects either as a
compulsory or a complementary subject.
• Nevertheless, each of the disciplines uses its own assumptions, dimensions of analysis, and
methodologies to study discourse analysis.
 Who should learn DA at the DEE?
DA may not be offered to all levels of English learners, but simply
suitable for the learners who have already learnt and had
knowledge of English language skills and language studies.
Knowledge of language skills refers to the skills of speaking and
listening, writing and reading, as well as interpreting and
translating.
Othe other hand, the knowledge of language studies refers to
linguistics (e.g. phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax,
semantics).
Both types of knowledge are become basic requirements in DA
because it will require and encourage students to reconsider and
re-evaluate the ‘rules’ of language with which they are already
familiar (Woods, 2014).
DA should be given to senior learners of English language studies
and English language education department
 What should the students do in learning DA?

The are at least two main activities

the students will do in discourse
analysis i.e.
1. learning the theoretical concepts of
dicsourse analysis and
2. doing an analysis of a particular
discourse.
 What are the advantages of learning DA?
What would I achieve?
Here are the reasons based on Academic Perspective
• To gain in-depth knowledge of the concept of discourse analysis which will be a
guide to understand and to carry out the process of analyzing discourse (Gaining
the knowledge of discourse analysis).
• To train and to develop the students’ critical thinking skills through the practice of
analyzing discourse as a simple model of research conducted in the classroom
(Developing critical mindset)
• To provide clear understanding on the context of using of English so that they
significantly not only contribute results related to of discourse analysis, but also
use the results in conformity with their communication needs. In learning speaking
skills for example, the learners may learn to analyze utterances from the authentic
spoken language of an English community and adjust the results of their analysis
for their own speaking purposes. This will be very helpful to personalize the
students’ learning priority by selecting the most appropriate words and
expressions according to the level of their speaking proficiency, needs and interest
(Understanding everyday language).
• To make the results of the analysis of discourse as a source and inspiration in
teaching English (Obtaining inspiration to teach English)
 Pragmatical Perspective
Think of this situation
As my friend and I were walking through one street around Losary Beach in
Makassar, My friend (he had been learning English for three years at the
English education study program of IKIP Ujung Pandang) saw a foreigner
sitting on the beach while taking pictures of the setting sun. Because of his
desire to practice English, he then immediately approached the foreigtner
and asked: Sir, why do you take the picture of the sun? The foreigner
irritatingly stared at him while saying: Why are you asking? Is it a problem to
you?, Now get out of my sight, I am busy. My friend could not say anything at
the time. Then, he left the foreigner with a question in mind. He was thinking
that he just wanted to get to know the man, Why did he look so annoyed and
angry?
If we notice my friend’s sentence, nothing goes wrong with its structure and
grammar. But he fails to use the sentence to establish successful interaction
with his interlocutor.
So, Keep this in your mind:
In order to communicate effectively in a foreign language,
a speaker should possess the two types of knowledge
(structural and functional knoledge).
They are essential to use in social interaction to avoid
pragmatic difficulties (inability to produce sentence
according to the language use in its context) which can
cause failure and conflict in communication.
Cots (1996) argues that using a foreign language is very
often synonymous with participating in an intercultural
communicative event, where the risk of
misunderstanding increases because the interlocutors do
not share the same cultural values and have different
expectations about how to do things with language.
 What should be learnt and should be
taught in a FL?
• Foreign language has to be studied carefully
which means that learners are in need of learning
two different dimensions (i.e. form and function)
of a foreign language in order to be able to use it
successfully in their social lives.
• The students need to be taught not only the
language form such as the pronouncitaion,
vocabulary, as well as grammar, but also the
language function that is to learn how to convey
the purpose of using some typical expressions
according to their context.
 For example
Context: A student comes to school late
• Expression 1: “Sorry because I come late”.
It is gramatically correct, but is functionally incorrect because it is not a
common expression to convey apology in that context. This is normally
spoken by learners who are good at language form, but not at
language function. Such kind of learners focus on learning English
grammar apart from its usage in social lives.
• Expression 2: “Sorry for coming late”
It is a correct expression used to convey the function of apology for the
context of being late coming to school. This is commonly uttered by
learners who possess both knowledge of language form and
knowledge of language function in which, such kind of learners study
English grammar together with its usage in real life interactions.
 How should EFL teachers present the knowledge of
language functions when teaching English?.

• This is where discourse analysis plays its primary

role to give information on functions of language
exist in the expressions used by native English
speakers in their real life.
• The information, as one of the results of
discourse analysis, will certainly bring about
knowledge of language functions in the context
of English language teaching which are expected
able to minimize the pragmatic difficulties and
enable the learners to use English naturally
appropriate both in speaking and writing.
 What are the advantages of learning DA
from Pragmatical perspective?
DA will be very helpful to:
• inform learners about linguistic features of language used in real life
context.
• find out how language should be used for communication.
• recognize the most appropriate uses of language for
communication
For short, DA makes effort to identify linguistic features that
characterize particular use of language, social, as well as cultural
factors which facilitate learners’ interpretation and comprehension of
different genres of texts and talks.
The knowledge of linguistic features, social, and cultural aspects of
English will not only make the students good at making correct
sentences but also good at using the sentences appropriately in line
with the context.
 Keep this in mind
It is essential to bring discourse analysis into the
classroom of English language teaching to be
studied in order to explore two important things in
English language i.e. English language form and
function which naturally exist in the context of
spoken interactions and written texts.
According to Woods (2014), such study provides
learners with the opportunity to examine how
meaning is constructed and negotiated in discourse
and to reflect on the role that language plays in
social life.
 Pedagogical Perspective
Consider the following facts:
• Discourse analysis has a very close relationship with teaching and learning
language teaching either a foreign language or a second language.
• Khader (2016) points that the close relationship between discourse
analysis and foreign language education is very simple: discourse analysis
is concerned with the use of language in real communicative situations
and so is foreign language education.
• Therefore, the information on language use obtained from the analysis of
discourse has been an inspiration for teachers and language practicioners
that they used it as a source of reference to formulate the curriculum, to
design syllabus, to prepare teaching materials, and to determine language
teaching methodology.
• Discourse analysis is like a bridge that connects between the teachers and
the communicative approach in developing the communicative
competence of language learners.
 How to use DA in pedagogical context?
Those who have learnt linguistics and language skills have
to learn discourse analysis as an academic subject at the
university.
They are the required to successfully deploy and connect
their knowledge of discourse analysis and pedagogical
components in the classroom namely:
(1) curriculum which refers to the contents being taught
in the classroom;
(2) methodology which refers to the way in which the
contents are taught; and
(3) techniques for socializing language learners in the
context where the language is used.
• The trend of teaching methodology today which is widely focused on
implemeting commmunicative approach requires English teachers to
teach learners communicative competence that is the learners’ ability to
activate and to use their knowledge of language (i.e. phonology,
morphology, syntax and semantic) functionally and socially in
communicative events (Yassi and Kaharuddin, 2015).
• In other words, the English teacher not only need to teach the students
how to form language, but also need to teach how to function the
language in real social interactions.
• To teach language functions, the teachers must bring about the
information of discourse analysis into the pedagogical system of teaching
and learning foreign language.
• Therefore, Erton (2000) suggests that the emphasis on teaching a foreign
language is to provide communication through a functional syllabus by
making use of the integration of four language skills by the help of the
student oriented classes, authentic texts and applying communicative
testing principles to teaching.
• Thus, the discourse functions of the target language should be clearly
understood and taught to students to enable effective and fluent
communication.
THANK
YOU