Discourse Analysis in the Reading Class

Bibliographic Data

ID10816632
AuthorsAmy Lezberg, Amy Kirle Lezberg, Ann Hilferty
Year1978
Volume12
Issue1
Pages47
Publication date1978-03-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueTESOL Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0039-8322 • E-ISSN: 1545-7249
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/3585790
OpenAlexW2005767839
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited1

Generally, successful intermediate and advanced students emerge from their ESL classes with strong control of grammar and syntax, and a certain familiarity with idiomatic and colloquial usage. Often, however, these students continue to experience difficulties with English because they limit themselves to literal decoding and coding of language according to structure and semantics. Yet at no level of ESL can a student rely on syntax and vocabulary alone, even when aided by intuition, without regularly misunderstanding language situations. Discourse Analysis can be useful to teachers and students in overcoming such problems. Unlike transformational and structuralist analyses of language, Discourse Analysis focuses on linguistic units above the rank of clause and on their sequences, and takes into consideration situational context and existential meaning. The results of studies in Discourse Analysis by scholars in psychology, sociology, and linguistics are particularly applicable in the language classroom, most obviously in refining teacher/student interaction, in teaching the ability to participate in discourse, and in analyzing discourse in writing. This paper describes two specific applications of Discourse Analysis: (1) at the intermediate level, providing tools for the teacher and (2) at the advanced level, providing tools for the student. Although Discourse Analysis is emphasized as pedagogy in the first instance and as class content in the second, it functions as both at each level

Class (philosophy) · Discourse analysis · Epistemology · Linguistics · Reading (process) · Sociology · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy · Psychology

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