Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Discourse Analysis
Organizational strategies = this refers to the way in which the information is put together,
combined, arranged, structured to communicate the message and achieve the writer’s purpose.
✔Narrative point of view - establishes a relationship between the narrator and the action; first
person - involved in the action and subjective; third person - generally observing the action and
being objective
✔Chronological, numerical or spatial order - appeals to the intellect and makes it easier to
account for and make sense of things
✔Cause and effect (causal analysis) - reasons things happen; cause: why/ effect: end result;
explain a situation (cause only, effects only OR both cause and effect); answers the question or
gives reasons why something happens
✔Comparison and contrast: systematic examination of two or more subjects to show the
extent or breadth of something; to corroborate that which is similar or earmark stark differences
✔Classification- putting or breaking things down into systematic categories (also a type of
analysis) for ease of understanding, clarity, and a more practical approach to a subject matter
✔Analysis:
subject analysis: dividing subjects into various parts
process analysis: step by step how something is done
✔Facts, statistical information, data: to make the evidence convincing, verifiable and even
overwhelming; to enhance credibility and appeal to reason and logic; offers proof
✔Analogy/Anecdote - using brief stories or scenarios to make the points or to set the tone; to
engage the reader; usually causes the audience to reflect
✔Authoritative sources: to give a sense of the information being well researched, authentic,
supported by those who should know; viable, corroborated (confirmed by others); it increases
logos appeal; it emphasizes the scope or extent of a problem
✔Problem solution: presents a problem then works out solutions; to show dire situation,
impact, but that it is not too late; something can be done
✔Refutations = refuting counter argument to strengthen ones own argument; to prove that one
has a balanced and knowledgeable grasp of the subject matter
✔Personal experience: subjective, first-hand account; relatable; personal; develops trust and
intimacy between reader and writer; bridges the psychological distance
✔Repetition = constantly/frequently repeated to drive the point home; makes the text more
powerful,
✔Titles and subtitles to focus the reader; classify the information; make it easier to follow and
process; break up the information into manageable chunks; more visually and psychologically
appealing
✔ Date or historical data/period: establishes a context; offers a point of reference from which
to process information
✔Tone: conveys the author’s attitude to the subject; expressed through words, e.g.
enthusiastic, gloomy, conversational, unbiased, measured, balanced, etc; it affects the reader’s
response and can manipulate emotion
✔List of three or listing in threes: to create great emphasis, to draw attention to key
information, to show scope or extent of something, etc. e.g. The unspeakable, abominable,
disgraceful situation is disturbing to all
✔Emotive language: manipulates reader’s emotions or responses (shock, pain, fear, guilt,
worry, joy); creates a positive or negative feeling; words used to convey/arouse feelings, to
suggest
✔Formal language: serious language, no relationship between writer and reader, adds a
sense of authority and credibility; to be taken seriously,
✔Inclusive language : first person pronouns to identify with the problem as a means of
persuading the reader to accept the writer’s point of view
✔Passive voice: to achieve a sense of objectivity and distance in the reporting of the issue,
e.g. The situation was brought to public attention by the employee
✔Active voice: to express a sense of action; subject is directly participating in the action, e.g.
The employee brought the situation to public attention
● The vocabulary used: prosaic or florid, simple or stilted, slang or formal, repetition of key
words and phrases?
● The phrasing and sentence structure: simple or complex, economical or verbose, direct
or circumlocutory
● Significant use of punctuation marks- e.g. pause marks such as ellipses, full stops,
question signs, exclamation marks
● Typographical features- use of font sizes, bold face, capitals, spacing, indentation,
Punctuation: ellipsis, contractions, etc - relaxed register, more informal and relatable; inverted
commas to call attention to key terms for emphasis