Discourse Analysis
Wahyu Putra Pradana
A.
Introduction :
Most of the work done
in a library is to analyze discourse and serve as a research method. The two
main points of discourse analysis are linguistic-based analysis (such as
conversation,), and cultural or social-based discursive practices. This paper
will discuss more broadly about discourse analysis in the field of linguistics
and anything related to discourse analysis.
B.
Literature
Review
1.
What is
Discourse and Discourse Analysis?
“Among sociolinguists, the term ‘discourse’ is
generally used to refer to stretches of spoken or written language which extend
beyond an utterance or a sentence.” Discourse Analysis and provides a tool for
sociolinguists to identify the norms of talk among different social and
cultural groups in different conversational and institutional contexts, and to
describe the discursive resources people use in constructing different social
identities in interaction.”
2.
Discourse and
Language
The first family of discourse analysis (illustrated
in Version 1 above) centers principally on what Brown and Yule (1983) call
“transactional language.” Language used in such a situation is primarily
“message-oriented.” “In primarily transactional language we assume that what
the speaker (or writer) has primarily in mind is the effi cient transference of
information” (Brown & Yule, 1983, p. 2). Conversations are the most
frequently occurring kinds of this language use. For the most part,
conversations are structured by both (all) speakers so that they can be taken
literally. There may be additional conceits, such as sarcasm or irony, but even
those are context bound so that they can be readily understood. Suppose two
people are conversing and a portion of their exchange is as follows:
A:Did you hear what he said?
B:Yeah, but I don’t buy it.
A:I don’t know; he seemed to know what he’s talking
about.
B:Yeah, right.
It would be diffi cult for native English speakers
in today’s American society to assume that B is actually agreeing with A. At
work is what Grice calls “conversational implicature” (1989, p. 26); the conversational
context determines the meaning of some words, so “Yeah, right” in the above
example is not taken as literal information.
3.
Pragmatics
Many
linguists propose various
definitions of pragmatics.
Yule (1998: 3) defines
pragmatics as the
study that concerns
with the meaning
communicated by a
speaker (or writer)
and interpreted by a listener
(reader)
4.
Ethnography of
Speaking
Ethnography of speaking,
is the analysis of communication within the wider context of the social and
cultural practices and beliefs of the members of a particular culture or speech
community. It comes from ethnographic research. It is a method of discourse
analysis in linguistics that draws on the anthropological field of ethnography.
Unlike ethnography proper, though, EOS takes into account both the
communicative form, which may include but is not limited to spoken language,
and its function within the given culture.
5.
Interactional Sociolinguistics
Possible emphasis on:
¡ Interpreting
speaker intentions based on not only linguistic clues/cues but also
non-linguistic context
¡ “The interactional sociolinguist also tries to make
explicit the presuppositions and background knowledge that people use to
interpret utterances in context. In
doing so the concept of a schema or frame is often useful.”
6.
Conversational
Analysis
1. Conversational analysis looks at ordinary
everyday spoken discourse and aims to understand, from a fine- grained analysis
of the conversation, how people manage their interactions.
2. It also looks at how social relations are
developed through the use of spoken discourse (Paltridge,2006:106).
3. Conversation Analysis (commonly abbreviated as
CA) is an approach to the study of social interaction, embracing both verbal
and non-verbal conduct, in situations of everyday life.
4. As its name implies, CA began with a focus on casual but its methods
were subsequently adapted to embrace more task- and institution-centered
interactions, such as those occurring in doctors' offices, courts, law
enforcement, educational settings, and the mass media.
7. Critical
Discourse Analysis
Explores the
connections between the use of language
and the social and political contexts in which it occurs.It explores
issues such as gender, ethnicity, cultural difference, ideology and identity and how these are both
constructed and reflected in texts.
C.
Conclusion
The discussion here focuses broadly on discourse analysis in the field of
linguistics and anything related to discourse analysis. As noted, there are 7
things related to discourse analysis. In each of these cases each has a role.
D.
References
Holmes, Janet. 2008. An
Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 3rd edition. Harlow, England: Pearson
Education, Ltd., pp. 378-279.
George Yule-The Study of Language-Cambridge University Press (2010)
