Discourse and Language Education

Discourse and Language Education is part of the Cambridge Language Teaching Library series. Language educators often talk about "communicative competence" - the ability of learners to use language appropriately in different social settings. Discourse analysis describes how such communication is structured, so that it is socially appropriate and linguistically accurate. This paperback edition gives practical experience in analyzing discourse. It includes analyses of spoken language - conversations, classroom interactions, and the ways we structure social acts such as complaints, advice giving, and compliments - and the structure of "scripts," such as the jury trial script, the restaurant script, and the doctor's office script. Discourse analysis also includes the study of written language - the rhetorical structure of compositions, or more informal written material such as personal letters. The analyses show the ways we use linguistic signals (from lexicon to syntax to intonation or prosody) to carry out our discourse goals. These signals differ across written and spoken language, and these differences are analyzed. The organization of discourse also differs across languages, and Hatch highlights these differences. Example data are drawn from a variety of native speakers and language learners of all ages and all proficiency levels. This text can be used as a manual in teacher education courses and linguistics and communications courses. It will be of great interest to second language teachers, foreign language teachers, and special education teachers (especially those involved with the hearing impaired). Its distinctive features are its text-plus-practice format, and the variety of examples from language users and language learners from many different cultures, backgrounds, and age groups.