An Introduction to Linguistics and Language Studies - Second Edition - Anne McCabe
Analysing Text and Discourse
An Introduction to Linguistics and Language Studies - Second Edition - Anne McCabe
Anne McCabe [+]
Saint Louis University
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Description
Chapter 5, ‘Analyzing Text and Discourse’, begins with the premise that all language use exists as a ‘text’, or as some stretch of language that is used for some communicative purpose. It provides ways of analyzing (especially written) texts for their overall structure, drawing on work in text analysis by Michael Hoey, William Labov, Eugene Winter and others. Genre analysis, based on the work of Jim Martin and others in Systemic Functional Linguistics, as well as that of researchers working within English for Specific Purposes, such as John Swales, is also explained, and a wealth of exercises in genre and text analysis are included. A section on register, especially focusing on differences between more formal written language and more casual spoken language, helps raise awareness of the importance of appropriateness of language choice to a given context, allowing readers a stronger grasp of their own language use in different contexts. The chapter also includes a section on evaluative lexis in text, drawing from the Appraisal framework by Jim Martin and Peter White, and a section on analyzing images and their contributions to the meaning of a text.