discourse analysis

1. Discourse Analysis
LECTURE 2
Types of Discourse: Written and
Spoken Discourse

2. Types of Discourse
• There are many ways to classify discourse:
• Written/spoken discourse.
• Classification of discourse according to the
register (level of formality).
• Classification of discourse according to genre
(communicative purpose, style, audience).
• Monologic (one speaker/writer produces an
entire discourse)/ dialogic/ multiparty (two/more
participants interact/ construct discourse
together).

3. Distinction between Written and Spoken
Discourse
• The distinction between speech and
writing is often referred to as channel (D.
Hymes) or medium as speaking and
writing involve different psychological
processes.

4. Distinction between Written and Spoken
Discourse
• Spoken and written discourse differ for
many reasons. Spoken discourse has to be
understood immediately, written discourse
can be referred to many times.
• M.A.K. Halliday. Spoken and Written
Language. (1989). Singled out the
characteristics of spoken discourse.

5. Distinction between Written and Spoken
Discourse
Spoken discourse:
• Variations in speed, but it is generally faster than
writing.
• Loudness/quietness.
Example
Announcer: an the winner ↓iz:s (1.4) RACHEL ROBERTS.
For Y↑ANKS.
A: who is she going out with↑.
B: Um (.) ْْْPeter.

6. Distinction between Written and Spoken
Discourse
Spoken discourse:
• Gestures/ Body language (Mr. Bean)
• Intonation.
• Pitch range: ↑ - the shift to the higher pitch; ↓ - the shift
to the lower pitch, V - a fall rise.
• Stress: underlined words in transcription: good.
• Rhythm.
• Pausing and phrasing: (.) – a tiny gap, difficult to be
measured, (7.1) – a pause of 7.1 seconds,a longer pause
like (..)

7. Which Discourse is More
Complex?
• Grammatically?
Spoken discourse – fewer subordinate
clauses, fewer that/to complement clauses,
fewer sequences of prepositional phrases,
fewer attributive adjectives, more active
verbs.

8. Which Discourse is More
Complex?
• Lexical characteristics?
Spoken discourse – longer, more repetitions.
Spoken discourse – the percentage of different
word is below 40%, written discourse – above
40%.
Spoken discourse – shorter, less complex words
and phrases (less contractions, fewer
nominalizations, more verb-based phrases, more
words that refer to the speaker, less abstract
words, more quantifiers).

9. Which Discourse is More
Complex?
• Lexical characteristics?
Spoken discourse has:
• More verb-based phrases:
having treatment (W) – being treated (S)
hospital care (W) – go to the hospital (S)
• More predicative adjectives:
misleading statistics (W) – statistics are misleading (S)
frightening news (W) – news is frightening (S)

10. Which Discourse is More Complex?
• Lexical characteristics?
Spoken discourse has:
• More pronouns (it, they, you, we).
• more lexical repetitions/ refinements
This man + this chap she was going out with
• More first person references.
• More active verbs.
• Use of indeterminate agents
Oh everything they do in Edinbourgh+ they do it far
too slowly
• (predetermined) fillers

11. Which Discourse is More
Complex?
Structurally?
• Spoken discourse is more fragmented. It
contains more simple sentences and
coordination words (and, but, so, because,
etc.)
• Written texts exhibit a bewildering variety
and richness of different structural forms.

12. Which Discourse is More
Complex?
• Haiku, a Japanese form of poetry, where
syllables are the form of writing:
Example 3
line 1- 5 syllables: Beauty and color
line 2- 7 syllables: Butterflies dance in the
sky
line 3- 5 syllables: Flying high and free.

13. Which Discourse is More Complex?
• Shape poems usually describe an object being written
about
Example 4
A spider

14. Which Discourse is More Complex?
• Representation/ reproduction of text:
The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.
Therain in Spain staysmainly in theplain.
• Written discourse can be divided into chapters,
sections, units, headings, subheadings,
quotations, etc.
• Where the original text exploits typographical
variety, a reproduction of the same text may lack
the qualities of the original.
Queen Victoria: he gave me such a kind, and may I
say, fatherly look (Thursday, 28 June 1838)

15. Which Discourse is More
Complex?
Halliday compares a sentence from a written text with a typical
spoken equivalent:
• Written form:
The use of this method of control unquestionably leads to safer and
faster train running in the most adverse weather conditions.
• A typical spoken variant:
If this method of control is used trains will unquestionably (be able
to) run more safely and faster (even) when the weather conditions are
most adverse.
A more natural spoken version:
• You can control the trains this way and if you do that you can be
quite sure that they’ll be able to run more safely and more quickly
then they would other wise, no matter how bad the weather gets.

16. Which Discourse is More
Complex?
• Other equivalents:
Every previous visit left me with a sense of the
futility of further action on my part (W).
Whenever I’d visited there before, I’d ended up
feeling that it would be futile if I tried to do
anything more (S).
Task 1
Can you re-write examples of classical writing
discourse on your HO transferring it into a
typical spoken version?

17. Which Discourse is More
Complex?
• Functionally?
Spoken and written discourses serve different
functions. The written language has two main
functions (Goody):
• the storage function which permits
communication over time and space;
• shifting language from the oral to the visual
domain, which permits words and sentences to be
examined out of their original contexts.

18. Which Discourse is More
Complex?
• (Brown and Yule). We use speech largely
for the establishment and maintenance of
human relationships (or we use it for
interaction), whereas we use written
language for working out and transference
of information (primarily for the purpose
of transaction).

19. Interrelation of Written and
Spoken Discourse
• Writing and speech interrelate (e.g. the
doctor writes your symptoms, you write a
telephone number).
• We can have written discourse that is
intended to be spoken, and spoken
language that is designed to be read.
• Marginal discourses: e-mails, SMS, chats

20. Interrelation of Written and
Spoken Discourse
SPOKEN WRITTEN
ORATE e.g.
conversation
e.g. informal
letters, drama,
poetry
LITERATE e.g. lectures,
sermons,
speeches
e.g.
expository
essays,
articles

21. References:
• Brown, G., Yule, G. (1983). Discourse
Analysis. Cambridge, etc.: Cambridge
University Press. pp. 12 – 26
• Van Dijk (1997). Discourse Studies,
Volume 2: Discourse as Social Interaction.
London etc.: Sage Publications.Ch 1.pp.1-
38. (esp. p.4)