Discourse Analysis (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics) [Paperback]

Gillian Brown (Author), George Yule (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521284759 | ISBN-13: 978-0521284752 | Publication Date: August 31, 1983

Discourse analysis is a term that has come to have different interpretations for scholars working in different disciplines. For a sociolinguist, it is concerned mainly with the structure of social interaction manifested in conversation; for a psycholinguist, it is primarily concerned with the nature of comprehension of short written texts; for the computational linguist, it is concerned with producing operational models of text-understanding within highly limited contexts. In this textbook, the authors provide an extensive overview of the many and diverse approaches to the study of discourse, but base their own approach centrally on the discipline which, to varying degrees, is common to them all - linguistics. Using a methodology which has much in common with descriptive linguistics, they offer a lucid and wide-ranging account of how forms of language are used in communication. Their principal concern is to examine how any language produced by man, whether spoken or written, is used to communicate for a purpose in a context. The discussion is carefully illustrated throughout by a wide variety of discourse types (conversations recorded in different social situations, extracts from newspapers, notices, contemporary fiction, graffiti, etc.). The techniques of analysis are described and exemplified in sufficient detail for the student to be able to apply them to any language in context that he or she encounters. A familiarity with elementary linguistics is assumed, but the range of issues discussed in conjunction with the variety of exemplification presented will make this a valuable and stimulating textbook not only for students of linguistics, but for any reader who wishes to investigate the principles underlying the use of language in natural contexts to communicate and understand intended meaning.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This book makes for absorbing reading. It is very well-written, inspiring and clear. It is indispensable literature for anyone working in the field of discourse analysis.' Journal of Semantics

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 31, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521284759
• ISBN-13: 978-0521284752
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #700,592 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well done work, May 19, 2006

By 

James D. Dvorak (Edmond, OK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Discourse Analysis (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics) (Paperback)

This review pertains to the 2004 reprint edition. Aside from the lousy type in the book (an old mimeograph machine could have made clearer print than whoever reprinted this edition), the content is excellent. Though originally copyrighted in 1983, the content is still relevant. The portrayal of DA is balanced, taking into account a wide array of research. The authors have done their readers a service in several ways: (1) the book is a good resource of DA terminology and concepts; (2) they look at the research critically, presenting pros and cons, and where appropriate, provide their own alternative theories; (3) they write in a manner that is surprisingly engaging and fairly easy to follow; (4) the data from which they glean examples are from real world discourse (if contrived, they tell the reader); (5) they provide a solid bibliography for anyone doing work in DA. I recommend this book.