An introductory day school providing a stepping-stone to exploring and thinking about a variety of issues within the subject of discourse analysis, the field of linguistics concerned with the study of language in context. The overall aim of the day is to offer an insight into the subject of discourse analysis and add another dimension to how you think about language and language use.
The day covers:
(1) The principles of discourse analysis and the main features of discourse. We address the question 'what is discourse?' and will look at what makes a stretch of language a piece of discourse.
(2) The formal and contextual features of discourse, such as formal and contextual links. We will look at how we make sense of what we hear and read, and how we can recognise well-constructed texts as opposed to those that are jumbled or incoherent.
(3) Speech acts. How language users successfully interpret what other language users intend to convey, how we understand speakers who communicate more than they say, and how we take part in that complex activity called conversation.
By the end of the day you should feel that you know about both the internal structure of discourse and the varied uses of language in context.
This event will close to enrolments at 23:59 BST on 2 April 2025.