Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE ENG2028

 
TITLE Discourse of English

 
UM LEVEL 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 2

 
DEPARTMENT English

 
DESCRIPTION We take conversation and other forms of talk for granted most of the time, but our interaction with others is undeniably one of the most important aspects of our lives. It is a co-operative activity and usually involves two or more people. Unfortunately, we do not usually appreciate how actual speech is organised and we only discover this when we attempt to classify the different components of conversation.

This study-unit will first give an overview of the three (Speech Act Theory, Interactional Sociolinguistics, Ethnography of Communication) of the six approaches to conversation and the work of scholars central to the development of each approach. Since discourse analysts focus on naturally-occurring conversations, students will also be given the opportunity to tape-record and transcribe everyday conversations and to analyse them.

Study-unit Aims:

- To help students discern to use the various frameworks of discourse;
- To allow students to critically evaluate naturally-occurring conversations;
- To provide students with ways to analyse conversation transcriptions.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- Acquire a broad awareness of how discourse is structured;
- Overcome the hurdles of tape-recording and transcribing naturally-occurring conversations

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be:
- Aware of the different frameworks of discourse;
- Able to present a rationale for tape-recording a particular conversation in a given setting.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

- Austin, J. (1962). How to Do Things with Words. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.
- Goffman, E. (1981). Forms of Talk. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Schiffrin, D. (1994). Approaches to Discourse. Oxford: Blackwell.
- Schiffrin, D., Tannen, D & H. Hamilton (eds.)(2001). The Handbook of Discourse Analysis. Oxford: Blackwell.
- Jaworski, A. and N. Coupland (eds.) (1999). The Discourse Reader. London: Routledge.
- Sachs, H. (1995). Lectures on Conversation. Oxford: Blackwell.
- Grice, H.P. (1975). Logic in Conversation. In P. Cole and J. Morgan (eds.), Speech Acts, New York: Academic Press, 41-58.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment SEM1 Yes 30%
Presentation SEM1 Yes 70%

 
LECTURER/S Lydia Sciriha

 

 
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Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit