discourse Flashcards
paralinguistic features
the non-vocal signals beyond the basic speech to convey meaning and emotion. includes:
- vocal effects (whisper, laughter)
- non-verbal communication (gestures, facial expression)
- creakiness, breathiness
code switching
switching between different languages or dialects within a conversation. marks group membership and solidarity.
factors that contribute to cohesion
cohesion refers to the the means of establishing connections within a text, looking at the more mechanical construction of the text to aid understanding. includes:
- lexical choice
- collocation
- information flow
- anaphoric reference
- cataphoric reference
- deictics
- repetition, subsitution, ellipsis
- conjunctions, adverbials
lexical choice
to avoid repetition, writers include different lexical items from the same lexical sets. includes:
- synonymy + antonymy
- hyponymy + hypernymy
synonymy + antonymy
synonymy: lexemes with similar meanings are used to vary the language used in a text to avoid repetition.
antonymy: provides contrasting ideas in ways that are simpler for the brain to process.
hyponymy + hypernymy
hyponymy: sub-categories
hypernymy: overarching category
collocation
words which often appear together in a text.
information flow
how the information is ordered in a sentence. includes:
- end focus
- front focus
- clefting
end focus
adverbials and dependant clauses are positioned at the end of the sentence. this structure is predictable, reliable and emphasises the end of the sentence.
front focus
adverbials and dependant clauses are positioned at the start of the sentence. this structure adds variety to sentences, drawing attention to a particular element.
clefting
splitting one clause into two clauses to emphasise an element.
eg. sasha ate the last biscuit.
“it was sasha who ate the last biscuit.” emphasis on subject ‘sasha’
“it was the last biscuit that sasha ate.” emphasis on object ‘the last biscuit’.
anaphoric reference
using a deictic to refer back to previous information.
cataphoric reference
word/phrase refers to something that appears later in the text.
deictics
words which have a context-dependant meaning.
repitition, substitution, ellipsis
repetition: creates links between sentences and paragraphs
substitution: replacing words with another to avoid repetition
ellipsis: omission of lexemes that can be understood in the context.
conjunctions and adverbials
conjunctions: connect items in a list
clauses: connect clauses
factors that contribute to coherence
coherence refers to the way texts are structured to make the meaning clear. includes:
- cohesion
- inference
- logical ordering
- formatting
- consistency + conventions
inference
individuals can make sense of language even with omitted details. use information provided to make educated guesses or assumptions.
logical ordering
ordering of ideas can help a reader to understand the text. may include:
- chronological order
- sequential order
- cause and effect
- problem and solution
- ranking
formatting
how the text is laid out in a document, as well as the design choices made. may include:
- font size
- line spacing
- paragraphing
- bullet points
- bold, italics
consistency and conventions
consistency: using a consistent approach to maintain clarity. may include formatting, tense, semantic domain, etc
conventions: features which relate to the text type, to increase predictability and understanding.
features of spoken discourse
- openings + closings
- adjacency pairs
- minimal responses, backchannels
- overlapping speech
- discourse particles
- non-fluency features
openings + closings
openings: greetings, interruptions, opening speech
closings: signal wrapping up
adjacency pairs
sequential turns that have a close relationship with each other. often these are used to:
- open and close conversations
- regulate turn-taking
- exchange information, seek elaboration
- provide feedback/confirmation
- requesting followed by a grant or refusal
