DEFINING

DISCOURSE
ECS 9 ENGLISH DISCOURSE
Chapter 1
WHAT IS DISCOURSE?
 What is Discourse?
- Discoursestudies look at the form and function of
language in conversation beyond its small grammatical
pieces such as phonemes and morphemes.
 Definitions and Examples of Discourse

"Discourse in context may consist of only one or two

words as in stop or no smoking. Alternatively, a piece of
discourse can be hundreds of thousands of words in
length, as some novels are. A typical piece of discourse is
somewhere between these two extremes," (Hinkel and
Fotos 2001).
 What is Discourse?
Latin prefix dis- meaning "away" and the root
-*

word currere meaning "to run".

- Run away
- To study discourse is to analyze the use of spoken
or written language in a social context.
 Definitions and Examples of Discourse

"Discourse is the way in which language is used socially

to convey broad historical meanings. It is language
identified by the social conditions of its use, by who is
using it and under what conditions. Language can never
be 'neutral' because it bridges our personal and social
worlds," (Henry and Tator 2002).
 Contexts and Topics for
Discourse
The study of discourse is entirely context-dependent
because conversation involves situational knowledge
beyond just the words spoken. Often times, meaning
cannot be extrapolated from an exchange merely from its
verbal utterances because there are many semantic
factors involved in authentic communication.
 Common Ground
- Applied by Herbert Clark as a way of
accounting for the various agreements that take
place in successful communication.
 Common Ground
"Discourse is more than a message between sender and receiver.
In fact, sender and receiver are metaphors that obfuscate what is
really going on in communication. Specific illocutions have to be
linked to the message depending on the situation in which
discourse takes place...Clark compares language in use with a
business transaction, paddling together in a canoe, playing cards
or performing music in an orchestra.
Based on how you understood the meaning of discourse,
formulate your own definition of DISCOURSE.
 From Defining Discourse to
Common Ground
Give 3 words that you learned / encountered
and how is it related or essential to
discourse