Discourse Flashcards
Discourse
unit of language longer than a single sentence; use of language in a social context
Global structure
Macrostructure; overall text structure, inclusion of all elements, appropriate order
Local structure
Microstructure; sentence structure, use of words, clear referencing
Coherent discourse
forms a unified whole
Situational coherence
plausible, makes sense
Generic coherence
recognisable genre
Categories of cohesion
reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction
Reference
link between words/phrases and other words (using pronouns, demonstratives, comparatives)
Substitution
replacing a lexical item to avoid confusion
Ellipsis
omitting a word; implies repetition (the woman […], she”
Conjunction
express relationships between phrases or sentences
Schema
Structure in semantic memory - specifies general/expected arrangement of a body of info
Levels of discourse
Surface representation, propositional representation, situational representation
Surface representation
syntactic form; stored in working memory until meaning is understood
Propositional representation
specifies meaning apart from exact words used and any inferences drawn
Situational representation
represents state of affairs the text refers to - retained best
Discourse genres
narrative, procedure, recount, expository, persuasive, descriptive, conversational
