TEXT AS A CONNECTED LESSON 1

DISCOURSE
FOR YOU, WHAT IS TEXT?
TEXT IS….
Text is defined in linguistics as “a stretch of
language which is perceived as a
purposeful connected whole. A text may be
spoken or written, produced by one person
or more, and is created by text-internal
coherence. Some linguists use the term text
interchangeably with discourse (Collins &
Hollo, 2000).”
TEXT IS….
Is not a grammatical unit, but “a
product of communication or piece of
language whose shape is motivated by
its semantic purposes and pragmatic
roles (Collins & Hollo, 2000).
DISCOURSE IS….
Discourse is defined in linguistics as
“any stretch of language larger than a
sentence, whether spoken or written
and having a logically consistent and
unified structure
THE FOUR FORMS OF DISCOURSE

EXPOSITION DESCRIPTION

NARRATION ARGUMENTATION
EXPOSITION
A form of discourse that serves to explain
or inform; it appeals to the intellect.

Ex. A research paper on the causes and

effects of global warming, an article on
child labor and child abuse.
DESCRIPTION
A form of discourse that serves to describe or state
the qualities or characteristics of something/someone;
it appeals to the senses.
Ex. A student’s description of his ideal teacher; a
writer’s description of a locale he has recently
visited; a descriptive article on a festive celebration
of a town’s patron saint
NARRATION
A form of discourse that serves to narrate or
tell a story; it appeals to the emotions

Ex. A narrative account of a student’s near-

death experience; fictive story about an
encounter with a supernatural being.
ARGUMENTATION
A form of discourse that serves to argue (to cite
reasons for or against a proposition) or to persuade
(to let the audience change his mind [to convince]
and/or take an action [to actuate])

Ex. An essay expounding on the retention or

cancellation/cessation of the Visiting Forces Agreement
Since this course basically deals with
reading and writing, we are concerned
with the written discourse, more commonly
known as text. However, the term “text”
also includes spoken discourse translated
into written form or transcribed, for
examples, the state-of-the-nation address
rendered by the president.