FACULTY: LINGÜÍSTICA

CARRER: LINGÜÍSTICA APLICADA AL IDIOMA INGLÉS

SUBJECT: DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

FORMAT: G#. 2

THEME: TASK N°-2

TEACHER: MGs: DOLORES DEL ROCIO ORTEGA

STUDENT: MACHISACA CARCHIPULLA JUDITH

LEVEL: SEVENTH

PERIOD: APRIL 2018 – AUGUST 2018

CUENCA – ECUADOR
 ACTIVITY 2.1.
Read the chapter 4 and watch the video on
https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procras
tinator?language=es
Analyze the speech on the link in terms of: pronunciation, rhythm, word
stress and intonation.
Introduction
According to the book below the heading of phonology in this chapter is focused as
'pronunciation', but devote most of our attention to intonation. This is partly
because the most exciting developments in the analysis of discourse have been in
intonation studies rather than at the segmental level of the study of phonemes and
their articulation and partly because intonation teaching.
Pronunciation
Traditional pronunciation teaching has found its strength in the ability of linguists to
segment the sounds of language into discrete items called phonemes which, when
used in the construction of words, produce meaningful contrasts with other words.
Example: the phonemes /p/ and /b/ in English give us contrasts such as: pin and
bin, peach and beach, bark and park, bath and path, etc.
Example of video:
But then those middle months actually went by, and I didn't really write words, and
so we were here.
Assimilations and elisions:
Assimilations and elisions naturally, but a surprising number of quite advanced
learners continue to articulate the citation-form phonemes of English words, where
sounds from the citation form are messed out in connected speech, most men
will be said without a /t/ in natural, conversational speech.
Example:
I would want to do that like that.
That would be the plan.
I would have it all ready to go, but then, actually
the paper would come along.
 Rhythm
There is a rhythm or regularity to it, which gives it a characteristic sound, different
from other languages and not always well-imitated by foreign learners. The
impression of rhythm may arise out of a feeling of alternation between strong and
weak 'beats' in various patterned recurrences.
Traditionally, rhythm has been considered an important element in the teaching of
spoken English. This is probably due to two main factors. Firstly, there does seem
to be rhythmically in varying degrees in long stretches of speech such as
broadcast, fluent reading, speeches, monologues and ordinary conversation.
Video
Example: this capture a felt rhythmicality, we can mark silent beats to maintain the
rhythm:
I thought that was the end of everything.
But a week later I get a call, and it's the school.
And they say, "Is this Tim Urban?" And I say, "Yeah.
And they say, "We need to talk about your thesis.
And I say, "OK." And they say, "It's the best one we've ever seen.
Word stress and prominence
Stress refers to the degree of force used in producing a syllable as stress timing,
example: the word extraordinary, mother, etc. Prominence syllables which
stand out in the flow of talk or duration, or pitch variation compared with
surrounding syllables and our perception of this phenomenon will usually be
due to a variety of such features, sentence stress is also called tonic.
Stress and prominence interactive choice is important when we consider
prominence in discourse we are considering the extent to which speakers,
listeners’ worlds converge. Example: I can take you right to the door if you wish.
Video
Examples:
There IS a DIffeRENCE.
Both BRAINS have a RAtional DeciSION-MaKER in them,
But the PROcrastinator's brain ALSO has an Instant GratificaTION MONkey.
Intonational units
It is possible to divide speech up into small units in which each unit has at least
one main or nuclear prominence. Intonation is essential to interpret meaning
example: surprise, query, teasing, etc. Moreover, intonation involves the
occurrence of recurring fall-rise patterns, each of which is used with a set of
relatively consistent meanings, either or single words or on groups of words of
variety length.
Video: the nuclear prominence or tonic as we shall now call it, projects what
the speaker decides is new (in the sense of 'newsworthy in the tone group.
example:
That did not happen.
It was a very, very bad thesis.
I just wanted to enjoy that one moment when all of you thought.
¡This guy is amazing!

ACTIVITY 2.2.
Read the chapter 5 on the textbook. Watch the film “Forrest Gump”. Select 1 scene
where there is a conversation. Analyze the conversation in terms of: Turn talking,
transactions, topics:
Adjacency pairs
It is possible to state the requirements, in a normal conversational sequence, for
many types of utterances, in terms of what is expected as a response and what
certain responses presuppose. Moreover, adjacency pairs is a unit of conversation
that contains an exchange of one turn each by two speakers the turns. The turns
are functionally related to each other in such a fashion that the first turn requires a
certain type or second turn.
FORREST GUMP
Example: (Some ritualized first pair-parts may have an identical second pair-part)
Forrest: Hello. My name's Forrest Gump.
You want a chocolate?
Forrest: I could eat about a million and a
half of these. My momma always said,
 "Life was like a box of chocolates.
You never know what you're going to get.
The theme of the insertion is usually related to the first part of the adjacency pair.
For example:
FORREST
Those must be comfortable shoes.
I'll bet you could walk all day in
shoes like that and not feel a thing.
I wish I had shoes like that.
Turn –taking
This is the way speakers predict one another's utterances and often complete them
for them, or overlap with them as they complete. Therefore, the purpose of turn
taking is to prevent interference in the middle of our speech. For example: mm,
uh, but, and, right, etc.
Forrest Gump movie
Example:
Principal
Well, your momma sure does care about your schooling,
Forrest “Son” Mm-mm-mm
Principal
You don't say much, do you?
Forrest: Grunts, imitating him. The principal, embarrassed, turns and … walks
away.
Other example:
ELVIS
Oh, no, that's all right, ma'am.
I was just showing' him a thing or two
on the guitar here.
MRS. GUMP
All right, but your supper's ready
if y'all want to eat.
ELVIS
Yeah, that sounds good. Thank you,
ma'am.
Transaction
This manages the longer stretches of talk. Moreover, boundary makers they are
also present in conversation, especially marking out openings and closings.
Examples: right, now, so, okay,…
Hello, what’s new? Anyway I must go….
Transactions is task- based learning , a task is an activity where the target
language is used by the leaner for a communicative purpose in order to achieve
an outcome. Therefore, the aim of transactional language is to communicate a
specific message, such as the teacher to the students, doctor – patient ( how to
take medicine), customer- . Bank clerk , etc.
Example: video of Forrest:
Busdriver
Are you coming along?
Forrest
Momma said not to be taking rides from strangers.
Busdriver
This is the bus to school.
Forrest
I'm Forrest Gump.
Busdriver
I'm Dorothy Harris.
Forrest
Well, now we aren't strangers anymore.
Topics
Topics could be defined, on the formal level, as stretches of talk bounded by
certain topic. Likewise, topic as titles for the subject matter of speech events, this
can be the reason for talk. Topics “What is a sub-topic?. A subject that forms
part of a topic”. Look at example 4.15 page 155, define topic and subtopic.
For example:
A: when did you last speak to Mary?
B: I am not sure. About a week ago. Why?
Example of video:
Jenny and Forrest walk. Three young boys get off their bikes and pick up more
rocks.
Boy 1
Hey... dummy!
Boy 2
Are you retarded, or just plain stupid?
Boy 3
Look, I'm Forrest Gump.
Jenny helps Forrest back up. Boy #1 and Boy #2 throw more dirt clods at Forrest.
Jenny
Just run away, Forrest
Jenny
Run, Forrest
Jenny
Run away! Hurry.

ACTIVITY 2.3.
Read the document attached and write an essay about the importance of
Discourse Analysis in teaching English.
http://www.ericdigests.org/2002-2/discourse.htm

Write an essay of 300 words about “Why Discourse Analysis is important for
teachers of English?”
Why Discourse Analysis is important for teachers of English
Introduction
According to the article this is focused on the application of discourse analysis to
second language teaching learning. Because it provides to teachers can improve
their teaching practices by investigating actual language use both in and out of
the classroom, and how the students can learn language through exposure to
different types of discourse.
First, the second language classroom is limited in its ability to develop learners'
communicative competence in the target language. What, it is restricted in
minimal opportunities for interacting with native speakers and a the variety of
functions , general speech, events and discourse types that occur outs in the
classroom,
Second, Classroom research is one form for educators to monitor both the
quantity and quality of students' output. The four-part process of Record-
View-Transcribe-Analyze, second language teachers can use discourse
analytic methods to investigate the interaction patterns in their classrooms
and to see how these patterns promote or hinder opportunities for learners
to practice the target language. This process allows language teachers to
study their own teaching behavior--specifically, the frequency, distribution,
and types of questions they use and their effect on students' responses.
Therefore, these are four steps help to improve the teaching learning proses in the
classroom that allows students to have more opportunities for speaking the target
language.
Third, teacher can use these techniques that help to interact in their classroom
helping students identify different communication strategies and their potential for
communication. However, discourse analysis is an integral part of a program of
professional development for all teachers that includes classroom-based research,
with the aim of improving teaching.
Finally, discourse analysis helps to develop communicative goals in different
contexts. Also, this allows producing a second language learning
environment that more accurately returns how language is used and inspires
learners toward their aim of speak another language.
 ACTIVITY 2.4.
Read the information on the following presentation.
https://es.slideshare.net/khairunnisamohammad1/differences-between-spoken-
and-written-discourse
Listen to the following speech and analyze it in terms of:
Differences between spoken and written discourse
ASPECTS SPOKEN DISCOURSE WRITTEN DISCOURSE
Grammatical This has grammatical intricacy Writing is more structurally
intricacy and also has its own complex and elaborate than
complexities. speech.

Lexical Spoken discourse is less Content words being tightly

density lexically dense. packed into individual clause.
Nominalization Low level of nominalization and This has a high level of
shorter nouns groups. nominalization more nouns than
verbs
Explicitness Both can be explicit depending Writing is more explicit than
on what they want listener or speech.
reader to understand.
Spontaneity Speaking is disorganized and Writing is more organized and
ungrammatical, because it is grammatical.
spontaneous. Speakers can ask This is more constrained in that
for clarification and they can ways of conveying meaning are
correct what they have said. more limited.
Repetition, Spoken discourse contains
hesitations more repetition than written
and discourse.
redundancy Hesitations, and redundancy
because it is produced in real
time.
This uses more pause and
fillers like: hhh, er, and you
know, to give time to think
what they are going to say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yMcNubXqc4
Analysis of video:
According to the video of Mahatma Gandhi’s Speech, this has all characteristics of
the following aspects such as simple sentences or short sentences, clauses,
individual clauses, more nouns than verbs; lecture, explicitly, uncompleted
fragments, and repetition. For example:
TOPICS Video
Grammatical intricacy I feel it though I do not see it. It is this unseen
Sentences are short and power which makes itself felt and yet defies all
simple. proof, because it is unlike all that I perceive
through my senses.
Lexical density If the knowledge of these poor people was so
limited about their ruler, who am infinitely lesser in
respect to God.
That they ruler need not be surprised if I do not
realize the presence of God the King of kings.
Nominalization He rules and yet they know that there is a power
that certainly rules.
Rule makes life under it easier.
Explicitness Sense perceptions can be and often are false and
deceptive, however real they may appear to us.
Spontaneity It transcends the senses. But it is possible to
This contains more reason out the existence of God to a limited extent
uncompleted (fragments) He is the supreme Good. But He is no God who
and reformulated merely satisfies the intellect.
sentences
Repetition, hesitations I can see that in the midst of death life persists, in
and redundancy the midst of untruth truth persists, in the midst of
darkness light persists.
Exercise of faith will be the safest where there is a
clear determination summarily to reject all that is
contrary to truth and love. I confess that I have no
argument to convince through reason. Faith
transcends reason