Discourse analysis

backformations: new lexemes are formed by adding a prefix or suffix to an existing one: unreliable from reliable or the verbs to televise (from television) and to long list (from to shortlist) and to rule something in (from to rule something out)

blends: two elements are combined: Oxbridge, breathalyser, edutainment

clippings: these are a form of abbreviation: ad from advertisement and phone from telephone

reduplicatives: items where part or all of one element is repeated: fuddy-duddy, goody-goody, walkie-talkie

In addition informal, media and literary usages produce an enormous variety of different word forms: fatso, footbrawl, webzine, brillig.
☺☺☺ Activity 4 What do we mean by term “Discourse” below there are definitions of DA given by researcher. Note or highlight what seem to you to be some of the key notions.

1. 
   Meaning in interaction … the different combinations of both speaker and hearer as well as that of utterance and context to the making of meaning (Thomas 1995:23)
   
2. 
   A dynamic process in which language is used as an instrument of communication in a context by a speaker/ writer to express meaning and achieve intentions (Brown and Yule 1983:26)
   
3. 
   Discourse arises not only as a collection of decontextualize units of a language structure, but as a collection of inherently contextualized units of language use( Schiffrin1994:39)
   
4. 
   The subtle ways in which language orders our perceptions and makes things happen and thus… how language can be used to construct and create social interaction and diverse social worlds… the way talk is meshed together… language in its social and cognitive context (Potter and Wetherall 1987:16)
   
5. 
   Language in use… it cannot be restricted to the description of linguistic forms independent of the purpose of functions which this forms are designed to serve in human affairs (Brown and Yule 1983:31)
   
6. 
   Language above the sentence or above the clause …. In larger linguisticunits, such as onversational exchange or written text… language in use in social contexts (Stubbs 1983 a:1)
   
7. 
   The language of communication- spoken or written … an interlocking social, cognitive and linguistic enterprise (Hatch 1992:1)
   
8. 
   A way of perceiving, talking about and acting upon the world, particularly in different social context or as a part of different social practice (Maley et al. 1995:43)
   

• 
  You will probably have noted some or all of the following: