Discourse Analysis

1. Irliany
Marwah Dwipa
Marsha Mayra
Cindy Ayustin A.

2.  Discourse is the actual instances of communication
in the medium of language.
 Focusing on what happens when people draw on the
knowldege they have about language base on what
they have heard, seen or written to do things in the
world.
 So, it can be called as ways of talking and ways of
thinking.
Discourse Analysis?

3.  Discourse analysis typically focuses on the analytical
processes in a relatively explicit way.
 Discourse is a methodology that can be used to
answer many kinds of questions
 DA systematically asks questions, takes several
theoretical perspectives performs a variety of tests!
Discourse Analysis?

4.  Museum of Egyptology
 Advertising for an informal material: Splendors of
Ancient Egypt
 The exhibit was presented as blockbuster advertising
it heavily.
 Gave rise to many texts: articles in many magazines,
wall placards, labels in the exhibit, materials at the
gift shop set up at the exit of the exhibit.
Facets of Discourse Analysis

5.  Before starting all the materials, we need to consider
our methodology first.
 Discourse analysts work with different materials:
transcript of audio or video-talk, written documents,
proverbs, printouts of on-line communication.
 Basic question of discourse analysis :
What the text is about? Why is this text the way it is?
Why is it no other way?
A Heuristic for Analysis

6. 
 Discourse is shaped by the world, and discourse
shape the world.
 Discourse is shaped by language, and the discourse
shapes the language.
 Discourse is shaped by participants, and discourse
shapes participants.
 Discourse is shaped by prior discourse, and
discourse shapes the possibilities for future
discourse.
 Discourse is shaped by its medium, and discourse
shapes the possibilities of its medium.
 Discourse is shaped by purpose, and discourse
shapes possible purpose.

7. The museum choose advertisement on magazine for
“The Splendor of Ancient Egypt” choice of words that
has the effect of creating a particular image of this
world in the minds of the readers: Egyptian are
depicted as full of mystery, superstitious, obsessed with
living forever, preoccupied with death. They need
spells, curses, and incantation to protect them from
harm
Texts & interpretations of texts are shaped by
the world, and they shape the world

8.  Possibilities
“Thank you for being a member of this Museum of Fine
Arts, Houston”
 Limitations
“Mummy Mask of Paser…”
How the structure foregrounds some elements of the
description and backgrounds others. First thing, is a label in
English not in Egyptian. In Roman letters not in
hieroglyphic. Effect: this label removes the object from its
original context and puts it into a western frame of reference.
Discourse is shaped by the possibilities and
limitations of language, and discourse shapes
language

9.  Interpersonal relations include the relations among the
speakers and writers, audiences and over hearers who are
represented in the text.
 Example: splendors of Ancient Egypt gives evidence of
several and sometimes conflicting versions of the
relationships between museum staff and museum
patrons. Sometimes the intended audience is clearly
youthful as in: SHABTIS
 This is adults language addressed to children. It
represents in adults idea of how a childs mind might
work
Discourse is shaped by interpersonal relations
among participants, and discourse helps to
shape interpersonal relations

10.  intertextual relations between texts and other texts
enable people to interpret new instances of discourse
with reference to familiar activities and familiar
categories of style and form
 Ads for the “Splendors” exhibit mention “The Book
of Dead”
Discourse is shaped by expectations created by familiar
discourse, and new instances of discourse help to shape our
expectations about what future discourse will be like and how
it should be interpreted

11.  Mixing of media is evident in the splendors of
Ancient Egypt.. Magazine ads: more oral (spoken-
like) quality than do the magazine article.
 Punctuation: to represent the rhythm of speech they
had spells for this. Incantations for that. And curses
to protect them from harm Visual imagery is
extremely prevalent and often repeated: Use of
Egpytian writing as decoration: birds, cup, sphynx-
like figures, human arms and legs, abstract shapes
Discourse is shaped by the limitations and possibilities of its
media, and the possibilities of communications media are
shape by their uses in discourse

12.  The purposes of splendors show are several: several
voices (sometimes in competition) are heard… The
exhibit was meant to be educational: imperative,
expressions of confidence in the evidence one claims,
simplification
Discourse is shaped by purpose, and
discourse shapes possible purpose