Discourse + pragmatics

Question 1

Discourse + pragmatics

Answer 1

• Paralinguistic features
• Code-switching
• Factors contributing to cohesion
• Factors contributing to coherence
• Features of spoken discourse

Question 2

Paralinguistic features

Answer 2

• Vocal effects (inc. whispers, laughs, etc).
• Non-verbal communication (gestures, facial expressions, eye contact).
• Creakiness + breathiness

Question 3

Code- switching

Answer 3

• Switching between different languages/dialects within a conversation or single text.
• As means of demonstrating group membership + solidarity, inclusion + exclusion, affinity with both cultures, language learning, etc.

Question 4

Cohesion

Answer 4

Means of establishing connections within a text at different structural levels (glue sticking everything together).

Question 5

Factors contributing to cohesion

Answer 5

• Lexical choice
• Information flow
• Anaphoric reference
• Cataphoric reference
• Deictics
• Repetition
• Elipsis
• Conjunctions + adverbials

Question 6

Lexical choice

Answer 6

Achieve cohesive text by using lexical items from the same lexical sets but avoid repetition by:
- Synonymy
- Antonymy
- Hyponymy/collocations

Question 7

Synonymy

Answer 7

Lexemes with very similar meanings used to vary language (avoid repetition + add interest).

Question 8

Antonymy

Answer 8

Provide contrasting ideas in ways that are cognitively simpler for the brain to process (more efficient in some cases).

Question 9

Hyponymy/collocations

Answer 9

Words associated with phrases that are statistically more likely to appear near each other (predictability= easier for brain to process = increase cohesion).

Question 10

Information flow

Answer 10

How information is ordered + presented to the audience.
- Clefting (it-cleft, pseudo/wh-cleft).
- Front focus
- End focus

Question 11

Clefting

Answer 11

The movement of a phrase to another position in the sentence (sentences split + restructured to move element requiring prominence to foreground).

Question 12

It-cleft

Answer 12

Phrase moved near to front.
- 3rd person singular pronoun ‘it’ + appropriate grammatical tense of ‘to be’ to construct a predicate complement - then attached to a relative clause that provides the rest of the information.

Question 13

Pseudo-cleft/wh-cleft

Answer 13

The prominence is created through the use of a relative pronoun, phrase moved to the end.

Question 14

Front focus

Answer 14

Moving phrasal elements to the front to give greater prominence (eg. “We were watching the man down the street. TO ALL OF US, he seemed to be acting suspiciously”).

Question 15

End focus

Answer 15

Phrasal element is given prominence by moving it to the end (eg. “ My cat dropped a dead mouse on the doorstep this morning, dead!”).

Question 15

Anaphoric reference

Answer 15

Using a substitution (eg. pronoun) instead of full phrase when an element/entity has already been referred to (eg. “Charlie enjoyed the slice of cake SHE was given”).

Question 15

Cataphoric reference

Answer 15

Using substitutions before the reference has been mentioned (eg. “As SHE felt a little cold, May put on her coat”).

Question 16

Deictics

Answer 16

Type of substitution relying on contextual information to determine the referent of the situation (people, place, time, etc).
- Eg. A: “Hey where did you put that book?” B: “Over there” points towards shelf.

Question 17

Repetition

Answer 17

Repeating the same lexical choices (or near synonyms) to reinforce/maintain a topic (eg. Tony Abbot, the PM, Mr Abbot…).

Question 18

Elipsis

Answer 18

Removing words/phrases from an utterance, avoiding unnecessary repetition.

Question 19

Conjunctions + adverbials

Answer 19

Joining words/phrases that provide links within a sentence or within the larger context of discourse.
- Additives
- Contrastices
- Cause + effects
- Sequences

Question 20

Additives

Answer 20

Link content of sentences to imply equal weighting.
- Coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS)
- Adverbials (eg. ‘as well as’, ‘also’, ‘furthermore’).

Question 21

Contrastives

Answer 21

Demonstrate opposing alternatives, exclusions, contrasts, + comparatives (inc. nevertheless, while, yet, neither).

Question 22

Cause + effects

Answer 22

Show one clause is a direct result of another (inc. therefore, because, thus, so).

Question 23

Sequences + timing

Answer 23

Indicate sequencing within a text helping to signpost delivery of info to audience (inc. when, after, finally, previously).