Discourse

MCQS
1. Who were influential linguists in the 1960s and 1970s that contributed to discourse analysis?
a) Michel Foucault and Erving Goffman
b) Noam Chomsky and Ferdinand de Saussure
c) Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf
d) William Labov and John Searle
2. Which decade saw the emergence of critical discourse analysis, incorporating social and political
dimensions?
a) 1950s
b) 1980s
c) 1990s
d) 2000s
3. What is the focus of discourse studies?
a) Examining language use in communication beyond traditional linguistic analysis.
b) Investigating historical linguistic patterns.
c) Analyzing literary texts only.
d) Exploring language acquisition in children.
4. Which aspect of discourse studies involves understanding language within its broader social, cultural,
and historical context?
a) Contextual Analysis
b) Coherence and Cohesion
c) Power and Ideology
d) Conversation and Interaction
5. Which area of discourse studies focuses on analyzing everyday language use, including turn-taking and
politeness strategies?
a) Conversation and Interaction
b) Textual Analysis
c) Pragmatics
d) Genre and Register
6. What does Corpus Linguistics utilize to analyze language patterns?
a) Ethnographic observations
b) Large datasets
c) Narratives
d) Power relations and ideologies
7. What does Conversation Analysis (CA) focus on studying?
a) Linguistic structures
b) Meaning construction in narratives
c) Organization of talk and interaction
d) Patterns, frequencies, and structures of language
8. Which method of discourse analysis explores the interaction of different modes such as text, image,
and sound?
a) Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA)
b) Corpus Linguistics
c) Conversation Analysis (CA)
d) Narrative Analysis
9. Which concept focuses on effective communication through longer stretches of language?
a) Speech acts
b) Discourse structures
 c) Syntax and grammar rules
d) Semantic analysis
10. Who introduced the concept of speech acts?
a) J.L. Austin & John Searle
b) William Labov
c) Noam Chomsky
d) Ferdinand de Saussure
11. Which type of speech act involves statements that convey information or describe reality?
a) Assertives
b) Directives
c) Commissives
d) Expressives
12. What type of speech act includes expressions of commitments or promises?
a) Assertives
b) Directives
c) Commissives
d) Expressives
13. Which component of discourse structures introduces the topic and sets the stage for what will follow?
a) Introduction
b) Body
c) Transitions
d) Conclusion
14. Which part of the discourse provides closure to the communication and summarizes the main points?
a) Introduction
b) Body
c) Transitions
d) Conclusion
15. Which component of discourse structures consists of several paragraphs or sections, each presenting
different aspects related to the main idea?
a) Introduction
b) Body
c) Transitions
d) Conclusion
16. What is the purpose of discourse markers?
a) To signal relationships between ideas.
b) To summarize the main points.
c) To introduce the topic.
d) To provide closure to the communication.
17. What is an example of a Speech Community?
a) The Indian community in Methnab
b) The Egyptian community in Onizah
c) Both a and b
d) Neither a nor b
18. How many major varieties of language do Saudis have?
a) One
 b) Two
c) Three
d) Five
19. Which term refers to the linguistic options available to a speech community?
a) Speech event
b) Speech community
c) Speech style
d) Linguistic code answer this
20. What does the speech event include in terms of setting?
a) The linguistic code used
b) The place and time at which the event takes place
c) The purpose of the speech act
d) The participants involved
21. Which component of the speech event defines the topic being discussed?
a) Setting
b) Participants
c) Key
d) Message content
22. What does grammatical cohesion primarily rely on?
a) Background knowledge
b) Lexical content
c) Structural content
d) Sociolinguistic factors
23. What type of cohesive tie is exemplified by the sentence "Jack's car is very old and ugly. He should get a
nicer one"?
a) Reference
b) Substitution
c) Ellipsis
d) Conjunction
24. What are the two main types of cohesion?
a) Referential and substitutional
b) Grammatical and lexical
c) Elliptical and conjunctive
d) Syntactic and semantic
25. What type of cohesion is based on structural content?
a) Grammatical cohesion
b) Lexical cohesion
c) Elliptical cohesion
d) Conjunctive cohesion
26. How does CDA begin its analysis of political and media discourse?
a) By identifying dominant discourses
b) By analyzing linguistic syntax
c) By critiquing historical events
d) By promoting ideological biases
27. What does CDA seek to uncover in political and media discourse?
 a) Economic trends
b) Cultural practices
c) Power relations embedded within discourse
d) Literary techniques
28. What aspect of political and media discourse does CDA focus on in terms of ideology?
a) Historical events
b) Visual imagery
c) Underlying beliefs, values, and assumptions
d) Linguistic syntax
29. What is emphasized in contextualizing discourse within CDA?
a) Political neutrality
b) Economic factors
c) Broader social, cultural, and political contexts
d) Personal biases
30. What does CDA examine in terms of discursive strategies?
a) Historical events
b) Linguistic syntax
c) Techniques such as framing and agenda-setting
d) Economic trends
 Short Question
1. What is discourse studies?
Discourse studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines language use in communication,
considering social, cultural, and historical factors.
2. What is computational discourse analysis?
Computational Discourse Analysis involves using computational tools and techniques to analyze large
amounts of textual data, providing both quantitative and qualitative insights.
3. Difference between speech acts and discourse structure.
Speech acts focus on individual utterances and their intended meanings, reflecting the speaker's
intentions beyond the literal words, while discourse structures refer to the organization and
arrangement of language elements in longer stretches of communication, such as conversations or
written texts.
4. What is discourse marker?
A discourse marker is a word or phrase that signals relationships between ideas in communication,
such as "however," "therefore," or "in addition." These markers guide the audience through the
structure of the discourse.
5. What is uncovering power relations?
Uncovering power relations in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) involves examining who produces
political messages and media content, who controls information dissemination, and whose voices are
marginalized or silenced within political and media discourse.
6. Difference between cohesion and coherence.
Cohesion refers to the grammatical and lexical linking within a text or sentence that holds it together,
while coherence is about mental processes and cultural knowledge that make a text meaningful.
Cohesion focuses on the structure of the text, while coherence deals with the overall sense or logic of
the text.
7. What is word derivation in Arabic and English?
Word derivation in Arabic and English refers to the process of forming new words from existing ones
through the addition of affixes, such as prefixes, suffixes, or infixes, or through other morphological
changes, to alter their meaning, grammatical category, or function.
8. What is speech style?
Speech style refers to the linguistic options available to a speech community, such as different dialects
or levels of formality within a language.
9. Who is Michel Foucault?
Michel Foucault, a French philosopher and social theorist, made significant contributions to philosophy,
sociology, and cultural studies, particularly focusing on power dynamics, knowledge production, and
the role of discourse in shaping societal institutions and individual identities.
10. Write down five example of register?
1. **Formal Register**: words like “therefore,” “furthermore,” “notwithstanding.”
2. **Informal Register**: words like “gonna,” “wanna,” “ain’t.”
3. **Technical Register**: words like “algorithm,” “hypothesis,” “protocol.”
4. **Academic Register**: words like “thesis,” “hypothesize,” “analyze.”
5. **Colloquial Register**: words like “awesome,” “cool,” “chill.”
6. **Slang Register**: words like “lit,” “bae,” “fam.”
7. **Legal Register**: words like “plaintiff,” “defendant,” “testimony.”
8. **Medical Register**: words like “diagnosis,” “symptomatology,” “prescription.”
9. **Business Register**: words like “stakeholder,” “ROI,” “synergy.”
10. **Jargon Register**: words like “bitrate,” “megabyte,” “compression.”
 Long Question
1. Describe Key aspect of discourse studies?
Some key aspects of discourse studies include:
1. Contextual Analysis:
Understanding language within its broader context, including social, cultural, and historical factors.
2. Coherence and Cohesion:
Examining how ideas and statements are connected within a piece of communication.
3. Power and Ideology:
Investigating how language can be a tool for asserting power, constructing ideologies, and reinforcing
societal structures.
4. Conversation and Interaction:
Analyzing how people use language in everyday conversations and interactions, including turn-taking,
repair mechanisms, and politeness strategies.
5. Textual Analysis:
Examining written or spoken texts to identify linguistic patterns, discourse structures, and rhetorical
strategies.
6. Critical Approaches:
Applying critical perspectives to uncover hidden meanings, challenge dominant discourses, and
highlight issues related to social justice.
7. Pragmatics:
Considering the intended meaning of utterances, beyond their literal interpretations, and how context
influences interpretation.
8. Genre and Register:
Recognizing the conventions and styles associated with different types of discourse, such as academic
writing, casual conversation, or news reporting.
Discourse studies are employed in various fields, including media analysis, political discourse analysis,
gender studies, and more. Researchers in discourse studies aim to reveal how language shapes our
understanding of the world and influences social dynamics.
2. Describe speech acts?
Speech Acts
Speech acts are communicative actions performed through language, reflecting the speaker's
intentions beyond the literal meaning of the words. Linguist J.L. Austin introduced the concept, and
later, John Searle expanded on it.
Speech acts can be categorized into five main types:
1. Assertives: Statements that convey information, describe reality, or make claims. For example, "The
sky is blue."
2. Directives: Utterances that aim to influence others to perform an action, such as requests,
commands, or suggestions. For instance, "Please close the door."
3. Commissives: Expressions involving commitments or promises. Examples include "I will help you" or
"I promise to be there on time."
4. Expressives: Statements that convey the speaker's emotions, feelings, or attitudes. For instance, "I'm
sorry for your loss" expresses sympathy.
5. Declarations: Utterances that bring about a change in the external world simply by being stated.
Examples include pronouncing someone married during a wedding ceremony or declaring someone
guilty in a courtroom.
Understanding speech acts is crucial for effective communication, as misinterpretation can occur if the
intended act is not recognized. The context, tone, and relationship between speakers play a significant
role in discerning the underlying speech act.
3. Describe the ethnography of speaking?
The Ethnography of Speaking is the systematic description of speech. Speech is described in terms of
three components: the speech community, speech styles, and the speech event.
 1. The Speech Community is any group of speakers that shares a linguistic code and rules for
interpreting that code, e.g., the Indian community in Methnab, the Egyptian community in Onizah.
2. Speech Styles are the linguistic options available to the speech community. Saudis, for example,
have a choice of two major varieties - a local dialect and the standard Arabic. By contrast,
Americans have a choice not between major varieties but between five different degrees of
formality within the one standard language.

3. The speech event is described in terms of six components:

a. Setting: the place and time at which the event takes place
b. Participants: traditionally speech is described in terms of speaker and hearer
c. Purpose: all speech acts have a purpose - to give information, express emotions, etc.
d. Key: is the tone in which an event is performed - serious, joyful, sad, sarcastic, etc.
e. Channel: the choice of oral or written communication
f. Message content: the topic of the speech event
4. Discourse analysis (cohesion & coherence)?
Cohesion
• Cohesion is the grammatical and lexical linking within a text or sentence that holds a text together
and gives it meaning.
• Cohesion occurs when the interpretation of one item depends on the other There are two main
types of cohesion:
• Grammatical cohesion: based on structural content
• Lexical cohesion: based on lexical content and background knowledge.
Types of Cohesive Ties
1. Reference, 2. Substitution, 3. Ellipsis, 4. Conjunction, and 5. Lexical cohesion
It is possible to say that cohesion can be "expressed partly through the grammar and partly through the
vocabulary" (HALLIDAY & HASAN 1994: 5)
Brief Intro of Cohesive Ties
• Reference: John goes fishing every other week. He is a very good fisherman.
• Substitution: Jack's car is very old and ugly. He should get a nicer one.
• Ellipsis: Mary ate some chocolate chip cookies, and Robert […..] some gummi bears.
• Conjunction: and, nor, but, or, yet, so
• Lexical cohesion:
Example: John caught a snake underneath a bucket.
Repetition: The snake is going to suffocate if it stays there very long. Synonym: The serpent is going to
suffocate if he does not let it go.
Hypernym (superordinate): The animal is going to suffocate if he does not let it go. General word: The
poor thing is going to suffocate if he does not let it go.
Coherence
 Coherence has to do with mental processes and cultural knowledge rather than any explicit discourse
markers such as deictic words or linking words (Bussmann, 1998).
EXAMPLE
Woman robs bank with sandwich. (Lack of coherence can be found in the sentence)
Are Cohesive Ties necessary for the Coherence?
Sometimes situational context makes sense of conversation. In the following brief conversation, there
are no cohesive ties connecting the three utterances, so we must be using some other means to make
sense of it.
HER: Someone is on door. (She makes a request of him to perform action) HIM: I'm in the bath. (He
states reason why he cannot comply with request) HER: OK. (She accepts reason)
5. Describe uncovering power relation and analyzing ideological dimension?
Uncovering Power Relations:
CDA seeks to uncover power relations embedded within political and media discourse. Analysts
examine who produces political messages and media content, who has control over the distribution
and dissemination of information, and whose voices are marginalized or silenced. This involves
analyzing ownership structures, editorial biases, and the influence of advertisers, political interests,
and other stakeholders on political communication and media content.
Analyzing Ideological Dimensions:
CDA explores the ideological dimensions of political and media discourse, revealing the
underlying beliefs, values, and assumptions that shape political narratives and media
representations. Analysts examine how language and imagery are used to construct and reinforce
dominant ideologies, such as capitalism, nationalism, or patriarchy. This involves analyzing the
framing of political issues, the portrayal of social actors, and the use of symbols and tropes in
political communication and media texts.