UNIT 4DISCOURSE COHERENCE

Inference and Background knowledge

Explicature and implicature

Macrostructure and Global Coherence

Superstructure: Semantic relation and

rethorical organization

BASIC CONCEPTS TO DISCUSS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzbvmOR4Rwc

Pay attention to the video. After, define with your own words the following terms:InferenceBackground knowledgeSchemaCoherence

When we communicate to others, we tend not to tell or explain every single detail. We just say or express the

information we think is necessary for others to interpret and comprehend what we really want to say

For interpreting the discourse, we can make use of different strategies.

It is a comprehension strategy that consists on

providing any missing information in discourse in order to understand it.

It helps us understand the implicature of an explicature

It is a combination ofexplanation based on a synthesis of

the literal content, personal knowledge, contextual information,

intuition and imagination

Inference

Read carefully the following text:

Lest’s practice

What did you infer from the text?:What is Katie doing?Where do you think she is going?What aspects / elements did you consider in order to understand what the text is about?

Lest’s practice

EXPLICATURE AND IMPLICATURE

EXPLICATURE

It refers to the explicit information found

in a discourse: vocabulary, structures of the oral or

written text

IMPLICATURE

It refers to theinformation derived through

the inferences madeby the listener/reader

from the context.

EXPLICATURE AND IMPLICATURE

EXPLICATURE IMPLICATURE

Since most of the words have different implicatures, we have to make an inferential contribution (cooperate)

in order to understand our interlocutor’s message

This cooperation requires for us to activate our

background knowledge in order to process information

Research suggests that one of the best predictors of student learning is what the student already knows before studying the new material

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

Background knowledge or prior knowledge is quite simply what someone already knows

about a subject that will help him gain new information.

B.K. is the key ingredient to ReadingComprehension!

BACKGROUND KNOWLDGE

B.K.It refers to all the experience and information we have about how people eat, play, behave in public, learn, get marry, etc.

It also refers to all the pragmaticinformation we have about discourse, cooperation courtesy, about the different textual sequences, etc.

Anderson and Wilson (1986) state that readers can comprehend the message a text transmit when they are capable of activating a schema in their memory

Background Knowledge

Schema

Structure on the memory that helps usaccommodate the new information we receive in order to assimilate it

Structure on the memory that helps usaccommodate the new information we receive in order to assimilate it

Background Knowledge

Schema related to babies

Background Knowledge

Schema related to babies

Special care

food

clothing

toys

Background Knowledge

Schema related to crossed ligament

?

LACK OF BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

we might have

comprehension problems

We won’t be able to make

inferences

Problems to connect the

new information

When we do not have enough background knowledge about a specific topic or we are not too familiar with a situation or information

LACK OF BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

NarrativeTexts

ArgumentativeTexts

ExpositoryTexts

ProcedureTextsNo schema

Difficulties in

Accommodating andAssimilating

the information

Background Knowledge

Schema related To:

Organization of the information: (van Dijk & Kintsch, 1983)

Macrostructure Superstructure Microstructure

The term Macrostructure refers to the essence of the text; that is, the topic or thesis being exposed through the text (van Dijk, 1980)

Macrostructure of Texts

Macro propositions Micro propositions

They support the general idea of the text.

They are alsoknows as MAIN IDEAS

They support the macro propositions.

They are also knows as SECONDARY IDEAS

Macro propositions Micro propositions

Usually, a paragraph contains a specific macro proposition, followed by several supportive ideas

In each paragraph of a text, there willbe several micro propositions;

some of them will be more relevant than others

Title and subtitles IllustrationsGraphic organizers Typographic clues

One of the mainstays of any language “researcher” is the dictionary. Many students understand this and, as a result, buy themselves bilingual dictionaries or electronic translator because they fervently hope that they will find an instantly usable translation of a word they know in their language.

What we can do is to show them the monolingual dictionary (MLDs) which is just as good – and in many ways better since, in them, users will find information such as the different meanings that words have, how they are pronounced and when they can be used. They also give examples of the words in phrases and sentences so that students get a very good idea of how they themselves can use these words.

MONOLINGUAL DICTIONARIES

Microposition:Ss buy biligual

dictionaries, electronic translator

Macroposition:The importance of the dictionary

Macroposition:Advantages of

the MLD.

Microposition:MLD shows the

meaning, the pronounciation

Macroestructure:The use of MLD

in language learning

4

SUPERSTRUCTURE

Explicit relations: Discourse MarkersImplicit Relations:Punctuation Marks

Organization of the ideas:

IntroductionDevelopmentConslusion

Superstructure

SemanticRelationships

Rhetorical Organization

Explicit relations: Discourse MarkersImplicit Relations:Punctuation Marks

Organization of the ideas:

IntroductionDevelopmentConslusion

Schematic structure of the text: the way we organize the ideas within

the discourse

INFERENCE AND COHERENCE

One of the elements interlocutors can use in order to help attribute coherence to their

discourse are discourse markers

DISCOURSE MARKERS

They are not syntactic units (not

subjects, not complements)

They don’t have an identifiable

grammatical function (n, adj, adv)

They do not have a specific

syntactic position (beginning,

middle of end)

Units that express a specific bond or relation between the different parts (sentences, paragraphs, chapters, etc.) within discourse

DISCOURSE MARKERS: they express different semantic relations

Time: Before, during, after, yet*, at the time of, at the same time, as soon as, then*, once, while*, since*, as*, nowadays, sometimes, generally, at present, as a rule, eventually, suddenly, etc.Comparison/similarity: as*, like, while*, equally, similarly, likewise.Purpose: so that, in order to, in order for, so as, for.Result, consequence or conclusion: so, hence, as a result, consequently, therefore, then*, in short, in sum, for that reason, in conclusion.Order: next, then*, finally, second, at the end, at last, at the beginning, later, earlier, at first.Addition: and, moreover, even, besides, not only … but, as well as*, also, in addition to, furthermore, including, both…and, still.Cause: because, for that reason, since*, because of, owing to, due to, thanks to.Explanation/paraphrase: thus, that is, that is to say, in other words, i.e., what is the same.Illustration: for example, for instance, as an example, to illustrate…, such as.

As you can see, the same D.M. can express

different relations (*)

DISCOURSE MARKERS

Students should know how and when to use these elements,taking into consideration the ideas they want to express andhow those ideas can be connected in order to create a morecoherent discourse

It’s also important to make our students realize D.M. are notused all the time; that is, the relationship between the ideaswithin a discourse can be done implicitly.

There are other elements people can use (specifically when producing a written text) that can help connect the different Ideas; they are called Punctuation Marks

Punctuation Marks

The period

The comma

The semicolon

The colon

The question mark

The quotation marks

The dash

Units that indicate the intonation with which written texts should be read aloud; they also indicate the reader the connection between words, phrases, sentences, etc.

Punctuation Marks

The period [.]: it indicates a long pause. It express the end of an ideaThe comma [,]: it indicates a shorter pause. It’s used to list different thingsThe semicolon [;] it separates unrelated thing within a sentence (different ideas)The colon [:]: it introduces characteristics or things related to a specific topicThe question mark [?]: it indicates a doubt; it goes at the end of the sentencesThe quotation marks [“ ..”]: they are used to express something said The dash [-]: it introduces more details about something said. The exclamation mark [!]: it expresses a specific feeling or emotion (surprise, fear, enthusiasm, etc.)

Adjacency

Not all sentences in a text are connected explicitly through

discourse markers. In some cases, where one idea leads

to another, they can be put together without any explicit

element. When this occurs, we are in the presence of

adjacent sentences

It’s a phenomenon through which

sentences are combined without an

explicit connection

PUNCTUATION MARKSCALSAMIGLIA AND TUSÓN (1999); FIGUERA (2001)

The colon (:) and the period (.) can, in some cases, implicitly express a cause

or effect relation

One of the mainstays of any language “researcher” is the dictionary. Many students understand this and, as a result, buy themselves bilingual dictionaries or electronic translators because they fervently hope that they will find an instantly usable translation of a word they know in their language. What we can do is to show them the monolingual dictionary (MLDs) which is just as good – and in many ways better than bilingual ones. In them, users will find information such as the different meanings that words have, how they are pronounced and when they can be used. They also give examples of the words in phrases and sentences so that students get a very good idea of how they themselves can use these words.

Why are MLDs better than BLDs?

BECAUSE

In MLDs users will find information

such as the different meanings that

words have, how they are

pronounced and when they can be

used

MLDs give examples of the words in

phrases and sentences so that

students get a very good idea of how

they themselves can use these

words

One of the mainstays of any language “researcher” is the dictionary. Many students understand this and, as a result, buy themselves bilingual dictionaries or electronic translator because they fervently hope that they will find an instantly usable translation of a word they know in their language. What we can do is to show them the monolingual dictionary (MLDs) which is just as good – and in many ways better than bilingual ones because, in them, users will find information such as the different meanings that words have, how they are pronounced and when they can be used. They also give examples of the words in phrases and sentences so that students get a very good idea of how they themselves can use these words.

Rhetorical Organization:

IntroductionDevelopme

ntClosure

It presents a brief description of the topic soon to be explained

It represents the body of the text

through which the topic is defined,

explained, exemplified,

described, etc.

It presents a summary to

emphasize the most important aspects of the

topic explained in the development

section

PRACTICE ACTIVITY

Read the following text and pay attention to

the instructions for each excercise in order

to complete the activity

One of the mainstays of any language “researcher” is the dictionary. Many students understand this and, as a result, buy themselves bilingual dictionaries or electronic translator because they fervently hope that they will find an instantly usable translation of a word they know in their language.

What dictionaries are for

Why do dictionaries fail to showstudents how words are

used in a foreign language?

1

5

3

7

9

11

13

There is nothing wrong with bilingual dictionaries (or electronic translators) of course. When they work well, they provide just what the students are looking for. But very often, they fail to show students how words are used in the foreign language, providing simple answers for what is, in fact, considerably more complex. 15

C

Many bilingual dictionaries are failed to give sufficient information about grammatical context, appropriacy, and connotation. This does not mean that all bilingual dictionaries are bad, or that students should never use them. What we can do is to show them the monolingual dictionary (MLDs) which is just as good as bilingual dictionaries. In them, users will find information such as the different meanings that words have, how they are pronounced andwhen they can be used. They also give examples of the words used in phrases and sentences so that students get a very good idea of how they themselves can use these words.

Students at beginner level will usually find MLDs too difficult to use: the language in the definitions will be way above their heads however careful the lexicographers have been.

A word

Can have many

connotationsin isolation

It will adopt a specific

value depending on the context

BUT

15

18

21

24

27

30

C

1. Make a list of the discourse markers you identify in the text.

2. Choose the correct effect of the following causes exposed in the text.

Dirsourse Markers Relation it establishes

One of the most important things for the researchers is the dictionary (L1)

Cause Ss hope they will find an instantly usable translation of a word they know in their language.

Ss understand thisSs buy bilingual or electronic

dictionaries

Effect

a

b

c

ACTIVITY

C

3. Identify in the text a case of adjacency. Substitute the punctuation mark

With a discourse marker to express explicitly the semantic relation

line Case of adjacency(Sentence)

Relation expressed explicitly through a DM.

C

6. Chose the rhetorical organization you consider is present in the text.

In case there’s a missing part, use your imagination to create it.

a

b

c

Introduction, development and conclusion

Introduction, and develpment

Development and conclusion