Language Systems: Discourse

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Questions and Answers

What is discourse?

A piece of language that has no unity, meaning, or purpose

Any unit of connected speech or writing limited to a sentence

A system of language that includes vocabulary and grammar

Any unit of connected speech or writing longer than a sentence (correct)

What is narration?

A description of an event in any order

A piece of language with no unity, meaning, or purpose

A type of discourse that uses no pronouns

A description of an event in chronological order (correct)

What is the main difference between narration and description?

Description includes an action

Narration uses more pronouns

Narration includes an action (correct)

Description uses more pronouns

What is the purpose of setting in a narrative?

To answer the questions When and Where Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of character in a narrative?

To answer the question Who Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between simple and plotted narrative?

Simple is real, plotted is fictional Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of description in discourse?

To transmit a mental image of the particulars Signup and view all the answers

What is the vertical pattern of description?

Describes from top to bottom or bottom to top Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of an affective description?

To convey feelings and recreate an effect on the audience Signup and view all the answers

What type of description appeals to the intellect and provides details about the appearance of a person, place, or object?

Informative description Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between exposition and argumentation?

Exposition provides a balanced view, while argumentation presents a biased view Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of circumlocution in a text?

To divert the reader's attention to a related but different topic Signup and view all the answers

What is the main goal of an artistic description?

To give pleasure and stimulate the imagination and emotion of the reader Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of recursive pattern in a text?

To discuss a topic and then revisit it later Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of narrative interspersion in a text?

To clarify or elaborate on a point or link the subject matter to a personal experience Signup and view all the answers

What type of description is used to describe the interior of a room?

Circular description Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Discourse

Refers to any unit of connected speech or writing longer than a sentence
Goes beyond the limits of the sentence
It is one of the 4 systems of language, along with vocabulary, grammar, and phonology
Any piece of extended language that has unity, meaning, and purpose

Forms of Discourse

Narration

Description of an event in chronological order
Uses pronouns like "I" and "me"
Includes an action
Follows a chronological order
Elements:
- Setting: time and place of the action
- Character: persons involved in the story
- Actions: incidents, causes, and manner of the outcome
Types:
- Simple: narrative of real events
- Plotted: fictional, result of the author's invention

Description

Fiction-writing mode for transmitting a mental image of the particulars in the story
Can go hand in hand with narration
Patterns:
- Spatial: describes how the subject occupies space
- Vertical: describes subjects taller than they are wide
- Horizontal: describes subjects in a horizontal sequence
- Circular: describes something that is not in a straight line
- Affective: describes the effect a person, place, or thing has on the writer
Kinds:
- Informative (Scientific and Technical): appeals to the intellect
- Artistic (Suggestive/ Evocative or Literary): aims to give pleasure

Exposition

Type of oral or written discourse used to explain, describe, or give information
Difference between exposition and argumentation:
- Exposition gives a balanced amount of the subject and uses a neutral tone
- Argumentation convinces the reader of the writer's overall point
Patterns:
- Circumlocution: discusses a topic, then diverts to discuss a related topic
- Narrative Interspersion: intersperses a narrative within the expository text
- Recursion: discusses the topic, then returns to it

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Description

Understand the concept of discourse in linguistics, a unit of connected speech or writing that goes beyond sentential boundaries. Learn how it differs from other language systems like vocabulary, grammar, and phonology.