CHAPTER 1

DISCOURSE AND DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

(5 hours / Theory: 4, Practice: 1)

Lecturer: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ho Ngoc Trung

hongoctrung74@gmail.com
0913306484
 1.4 SPOKEN vs WRITTEN LANGUAGE

Written language and spoken language differ in three aspects,

namely grammar, lexical density and situation.
 GRAMMAR

(a) The written text seems to have more information packed

into it.

Extract 1: Investment in a rail facility implies a long-term

commitment.
Extract 2: If you invest in a rail facility, this implies that you
are going to be committed for a long term.
(b) Linguistically, written language tends to
consist of clauses that are internally complex,
whereas with spoken language the complexity
exists in the ways in which clauses are joined
together.

Extract 3: This morning Associate Professor Dean Wolfe will talk

about the science of music at half past eleven, and we’ll hear some
fascinating things such as music backwards – but most of it will be
played forwards!

Extract 4: This morning at half past eleven, Associate Professor

Dean Wolfe will present a programme entitled ‘The Science of
Music’, in which the listener will experience a number of
fascinating things, including music played backwards - although
most will be played forwards.
(c) The syntax of spoken language is typically much less
structured than that of written language
(i) Spoken language contains many incomplete
sentences, often simply sequences of phrases
(ii) Spoken language typically contains rather little
subordination
(iii) In conversational speech, where sentential syntax can
be observed, active declarative forms are normally
found. In over 50 hours of recorded conversational
speech, very few examples of passives, it-clefts or wh-
clefts are found

it’s quite nice the Grassmarket since + it’s always had

the antique shops but they’re looking + they’re sort of
+ em + become a bit nicer +
(d) In written language an extensive set of
markers exists to mark relationships
between clauses (that complementisers,
when/while temporal markers, logical
connectors like besides, moreover,
however, in spite of, etc.; in spoken
language the largely organised chunks are
related by and, but, then and if.
(e) The speaker is typically less explicit than the writer: I’m
so tired (because) I had to walk all the way home.
In written language rhetorical organisers of larger
stretches of discourse appear, like firstly, more
importantly than and in conclusion. These are rare in
spoken language.
(f) In written language, rather heavily modified noun phrases are quite
common:
A man who turned into a human torch ten days ago after snoozing in his
locked car while smoking his pipe has died in hospital.

It is rare in spoken language to find more than two premodifying adjectives.

In spoken language only one predicate is attached to a given referent at a
time as in:
It’s a biggish cat + tabby + with torn earns
Old man McArthur + he was a wee chap + oh very small + and eh a beard +
and he was pretty stooped.
(g) Whereas written language sentences are generally
structured in subject-predicate form, in spoken language
it is quite common to find topic-comment structure.
The cats were let out.
The cats + they were let out.
(h) In informal speech, the occurrence of passive
constructions is relatively infrequent.
Oh everything they do in Edinburg + they do it far too
slowly
(i) In chat about the immediate environment, the speaker
may rely on gaze direction to supply a referent:

(looking at the rain) frightful isn’t it.

(j) The speaker may replace or refine expressions as he
goes along:
This man + this chap she was going out with
(k) The speaker typically uses a good deal of rather
generalised vocabulary: a lot of, got, do, thing, nice,
stuff, place and things like that
(l) The speaker frequently repeats the same syntactic form
several times over:
I look at fire extinguishers + I look at fire exits + I look at
what gangways are available + I look at electric cables
what + are they properly earthed + are they properly
covered.
(m) The speaker may produce a large number of
prefabricated ‘fillers’: well, erm, I think, you know, if you
see what I mean, of course, and so on.
 LEXICAL DENSITY
A content word/lexical word: is a word that
refers to a thing, quality, state, action or event.
A function word in one that indicates only
grammatical relationships.
My mother is a very good teacher of English
Lexical density refers to the number of lexical
or content words per clause.

Written version
The use of this method of control
unquestionably leads to safer and faster trains
running in the most adverse weather
conditions.
Spoken version
You can control the trains this way/ and if you do that/ you can
be quite sure/ that they’ll be able to run more safely and more
quickly/ than they would otherwise/ no matter how bad the
weather gets

Written language displays a much higher ratio of content words

to total running words.
 SITUATION
Written language Spoken language
- No common situation. - Face-to-face interaction
Inferred from the text - Part of the meaning
- Words carry all shades of conveyed by non-verbal
meaning behaviour (gestures, facial
- Making assumptions about expressions, postures)-
the reader’s state of - Immediate response from
knowledge- the listeners and corrections.
 QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:

1. What are the differences between discourse and the other units
of language?
2. What makes a cluster of sentences a piece of discourse?
3. What are the reasons for the differences between spoken and
written language.
 PRACTICE
Prove the following essay is a written text.
I have always been fascinated by carnival rides. It
amazes me that average, ordinary people eagerly
trade in the serenity of the ground for the chance
to be tossed through the air like vegetables in a
food processor. It amazes me that at some time in
history someone thought that people would enjoy
this, and that person invented what must have
been the first of these terrifying machines. For me,
it is precisely the thrill and excitement of having
survived the ride that keeps me coming back for
more.
My first experience with a carnival ride was a Ferris
wheel at a local fair. Looking at that looming
monstrosity spinning the life out of its sardine-caged
occupants, I was dumbstruck. It was huge, smoky,
noisy and not a little intimidating. Ever since that
initial impression became fossilized in my imagination
many years ago, these rides have reminded me of
mythical beasts, amazing dinosaurs carrying off their
screaming passengers like sacrificial virgins. Even the
droning sound of their engines brings to mind the
great roar of a fire-breathing dragon with smoke
spewing from its exhaust-pipe nostrils.
The first ride on one of these fantastic beasts gave me
an instant rush of adrenaline. As the death-defying ride
started, a lump in my throat pulsed like a dislodged
heart ready to walk the plank. As the ride gained speed,
the resistance to gravity built up against my body until I
was unable to move. An almost imperceptible pause as
the wheel reached the top of its climb allowed my body
to relax in a brief state of normalcy. Then there was an
assault of stomach-turning weightlessness as the
machine continued its rotation and I descended back
toward the earth. A cymbal-like crash vibrated through
the air as the wheel reached bottom, and much to my
surprise I began to rise again.
Each new rotation gave me more confidence in the churning machine.
Every ascent left me elated that I had survived the previous death-
defying fall. When another nerve-wracking climb failed to follow the
last exhilarating descent and the ride was over, I knew I was
hooked. Physically and emotionally drained, I followed my fellow
passengers down the clanging metal steps to reach the safety of my
former footing. I had been spared, but only to have the opportunity
to ride again.
My fascination with these fantastic flights is deeply engrained in my
soul. A trip on the wonderful Ferris wheel never fails to thrill me.
Although I am becoming older and have less time, or less
inclination, to play, the child-like thrill I have on a Ferris wheel
continues with each and every ride.
 In this chapter, we have learned:

 the history and development of discourse analysis

 the concept of discourse
 inherent features of a discourse
 the differences between spoken and written language
End of Chapter 1