Discourse Analysis for Language Teachers

222 Pages·1991·20.1 MB·English

by  Michael McCarthy

Discourse
Analysis for
Language
Teachers
MICHAEL
McCAR THY
a
Cam bridge Language
Teaching Library
Discourse Analysis
for Language Teachers
CAMBRIDGE LANGUAGE TEACHING LIBRARY
A series covering central issues in language teaching and learning, by authors
who have expert knowledge in their field.
In this series:
Meet ia Language Lcatning edited by Jane Arnold
Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching by Jack C. Richards a d
Theodore S. Rodgen
Appropriate Methodology and Social Context b.y Ad* Holliday
Beyond Training by Jack C. Richards
C d a h a i v eA ction Research For English Language Teachers by Anne Bum
Collaborative Language Learning and Teaching edited by D a d Nunan
Communicative Language Teaching by William Liftlewood
Designing Tasks for the Communiative Classroom by David Nunan
Developing Reading Skills by Franpise Grellet
Developments in English for Specific Purposes by Tony Dudley-Evans and
Maggie loS t John
Discourse Analysis for Lauguage Teachers by Michael McCarthy
Discourse and Language Education by Evelyn Hatch
English for Academic Purposes by R. R. Jordan
Englrsh for Specific Purposes by Tom Hutchinson and Alan Waters
Establishing Self-Access: From Theory to Ptactice by David Gardner and
Lindsay Miller
Foreign and Second Language Learning by William Litthood
Language Learning in Intercultural Perspective edited by Michael Byram
and Michael Fhing
The Language Teaching Matrix by Jack C. Richards
Liwigulge Test Construction and Evaluation by J. Charles Alderson,
Caroline Clapham a d D ianne Wall
Learnerantredness as Language Education by Ian Tudor
Managing Curricular Innovation by Numa Markee
Materials Development in Language Teaching edited by Brian Tomlinson
Psychology for Langauage Teachers by Marion Williams and Robert L. Burden
Research Methdds in Language Learning by David Nunan
Second Language Teacher Education edited by Jack C. Richards and
David Nunan
Society and the Language Classroom edited by Hywel Coleman
Teacher Learning in Language Teaching edited by Donald Freeman and
Jack C. Richards
Teaching the Spoken Language by Gillirrn Brown and George Ylsle
Understanding Research in Second Language Learning by James Dean Brown
Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy edited by Norbert Schmitt
and Michael McCartby
Vocabulary, Semantics, and Language Education by Evelyn Hatch and
Cheryl Broum
Voices from the Language Classroom edited by Kathleen M. Bailey a d
David Nunun
Discourse Analysis
for Language Teachers
Michael McCarthy
CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS
PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
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CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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43 Cambridge University Press 1991
This book is in copyright. Subjezt to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant colleaivc licensing agrccmenta,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 1991
Tenth printing 2000
A wialogue record for this book is avaikrble fim the British Li'my
Library of Congress caialogrcc curd w b + w9 0-20850
Printed in the United Kingdom at the University h,Ca mbridge
ISBN 0 521 36541 4 hard covers
ISBN 0 521 36746 8 paperback
Dedication
To John Harrington
Acknowledgements
Preface
Chapter 1 What is discourse analysis?
1.1 A brief historical overview
1.2 Form and function
1.3 Speech acts and discourse structures
1.4 The scope of discourse analysis
1.5 Spoken discourse: models of analysis
1.6 Conversations outside the classroom
1.7 Talk as a social activity
1.8 Written discourse
1.9 Text and interpretation
1.10 Larger patterns in text
1.11 Conclusion
Chapter 2 Dlscwrse analyslr and grammar
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Grammatical cohesion and textuality
2.2.1 Reference
2.2.2 Ellipsis and substitution
2.2.3 Conjunction
2.3 Theme and rheme
2.4 Tense and aspect
2.5 Conclusion
Chapter 3 Discounce analysis and vocabulary
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Lexical cohesion
3.3 Lexis in talk
Contents
3.4 Textual aspeas of lexical competence
3.5 Vocabulary and the organising of text
3.6 Signalling l a m t extual patterns
3.7 Register and signalling vocabulary
3.8 Modality
3.9 Conclusion
Chapfer 4 Dlircoum analyrir, and phonology
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Pronunciation
4.3 Rhythm
4.4 Word stress and prominence
4.5 The placing of prominence
4.6 Intonational units
4.7 Tones and their meanings
4.7.1 Types of tones
4.7.2 Grammatical approaches
4.7.3 Attitudinal approaches
4.7.4 Interactive approaches
4.8 Key
4.9 Pitch across speakers
4.10 Summary
4.11 Conclusion
Chapter 5 Spoken lanwaw
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Adjacency pairs
5.3 Exchanges
5.4 Turnding
5.5 Transactions and topics
5.5.1 Transactions
5.5.2 Topics
5.6 Interactional and transactional talk
5.7 Stories, anecdotes, jokes
5.8 Other spoken discourse types
5.9 Speech and grammar
5.10 Conclusion
Chapter 6 Wtmn Ianguage
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Text types
6.3 Spetch and writing
6.4 Units in written discourse
6.5 Clause relations
6.6 Getting to grips with laqger w s
6.7 Patterns and the learner
6.8 Culture and rhetoric
6.9 Discourse and the reader
6.10 Conclusion
Guldance for Reader activities
References
Index
Acknowledgements
Thanks are due to Jim Lawley, of Avila, Spain, for permission to use
conversational data reproduced in Chapter 5, to Roger Smith, Gill
Meldrum and Hilary Boo1 of CELE, University of Nottingham, for assist-
ance with the gathering of written data, and to the late Michael Griffiths,
Senior Prison Officer at HM Prison, Cardiff, for permission to use an
interview with him, part of which is transcribed in Chapter 4.
The author and publishers are grateful to the authors, publishers and
others who have given permission for the use of copyright material. It has
not been possible to trace the sources of all the material used and in such
cases the publishers would welcome information from copyright owners.
Edward Arnold for the extract from M. A. K. Halliday (1985) An Intro-
duction to Functional Grammar on pp. 47, 58; The Birmingham Post for
the article on p. 27; British Nuclear Forum for the advertisement on p. 49;
CambridgelNewmarket Town Crier for the article on p. 170; Cambridge
University Press for the extract from Brown and Yule (1983) Discourse
Analysis on pp. 1024, Cambridge Weekly News for the article on pp. 75,
85, 159; Collins ELT for the extracts from the Collins COBUlLD English
Language Dictionary on p. 84; the Consumers' Association for the extracts
from Which? on pp. 25,26,37, 86, 160; Elida Gibbs for the advertisement
on p. 56; A. Firth for the extract on p. 50; Ford Motor Company for the
advertisement on p. 32; Headway Publications for the article from Money-
care on p. 158; Hunting Specialised Products (UK) Ltd for the adver-
tisement on p. 72; Imperial Chemical Industries plc and Cogents for the
advertisement for Lawnsman Mosskiller on p. 83; International Certificate
Conference and Padagogische Arbeitsstelle des DVV for the extracts on
pp. 124, 125, 126, 140-1, 150-1; D. Johnson for the article from The
Guardian on p. 41; Longman Group UK Ltd for the extract from D. Crystal
and D. Davy (1975) Advanced Conversational English on p. 69; New
Statesman & Society for the extracts from New Society on pp. 77, 80, 81
and 82; Newsweek International for the extracts from Newsweek on pp. 37,
41-2; The Observer for the extracts on pp. 28, 30,40,57, 77,79; Oxford
University Press for the extract from J. McH. Sinclair and R. M. Coulthard
(1975) Towards an Analysis of Discourse on p. 13; J. Svartvik for the
extract from Svartvik and Quirk (1980) A Corpus of English Conversation
on pp. 70-1; the University of Birmingham on behalf of thecopyright
holders for the extracts from the Birmingham Collection of English Text on
pp. 10, 17; World Press Network for the extracts from New Scientist on
pp. 37,57.