Basic concepts in relation to Discourse Coherence

1. UNIT 4
DISCOURSE
COHERENCE
Inference and Background knowledge
Explicature and implicature
Macrostructure and Global Coherence
Superstructure: Semantic relation and rethorical organization

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzbvmOR4Rwc
Pay attention to the
video. After, define with
your own words the
following terms:
Inference
Background knowledge
Schema
Coherence

3. 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 of
explanation based on a synthesis of
the literal content, personal knowledge,
contextual information,
intuition and imagination
Inference

4. Read carefully
the following
text:

6.  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?

8. 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 the
information derived through
the inferences made
by the listener/reader
from the context.

9. 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

10. 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 Reading
Comprehension!

11. 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 pragmatic
information we have about
discourse, cooperation courtesy,
about the different textual
sequences, etc.

12. 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 us
accommodate the new information
we receive in order to assimilate it

13. Background Knowledge
Schema related
to babies

14. Background Knowledge
Schema related
to babies
Special care
food
clothing
toys

15. Background Knowledge
Schema related
to crossed ligament
?

16. 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

17. LACK OF
BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
Narrative
Texts
Argumentative
Texts
Expository
Texts
Procedure
TextsNo schema
Difficulties
in
Accommodating and
Assimilating
the information

18. Background Knowledge
Schema related
To:
Organization of the information:
(van Dijk & Kintsch, 1983)
Macrostructure Superstructure Microstructure

19. 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 also
knows as MAIN IDEAS
They support the macro
propositions.
They are also knows as
SECONDARY IDEAS

20. Macro propositions Micro propositions
Usually, a paragraph
contains a specific macro
proposition, followed by
several supportive ideas
In each paragraph of a text, there will
be several micro propositions;
some of them will be more relevant
than others
Title and subtitles Illustrations
Graphic organizers Typographic clues

21. 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.
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

22. Explicit relations: Discourse
Markers
Implicit Relations:
Punctuation Marks
Organization of the ideas:
Introduction
Development
Conslusion

23. Semantic
Relationships
Rhetorical
Organization
Explicit relations: Discourse
Markers
Implicit Relations:
Punctuation Marks
Organization of the ideas:
Introduction
Development
Conslusion
Schematic structure of the text: the
way we organize the ideas within the
discourse

24. INFERENCE AND COHERENCE
One of the elements interlocutors can
use in order to help attribute coherence to their
discourse are discourse markers

25. 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

26. 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 (*)

27. DISCOURSE MARKERS
Students should know how and when to use these elements,
taking into consideration the ideas they want to express and
how those ideas can be connected in order to create a more
coherent discourse
It’s also important to make our students realize D.M. are not
used all the time; that is, the relationship between the ideas
within 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

28. 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.

29. Punctuation Marks
The period [.]: it indicates a long pause. It express the end of an idea
The comma [,]: it indicates a shorter pause. It’s used to list different
things
The semicolon [;] it separates unrelated thing within a sentence
(different ideas)
The colon [:]: it introduces characteristics or things related to a
specific topic
The question mark [?]: it indicates a doubt; it goes at the end of the
sentences
The 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.)

30. 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

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

32. 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?

33. 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

34. 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.

35. Introduction Development Closure
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

36. Read the following text and pay attention to the
instructions for each excercise in order to complete
the activity

37. 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 show
students 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

38. 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 and
when 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
connotations
in isolation
It will adopt
a specific
value
depending on
the context
BUT
15
18
21
24
27
30

39. 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 this
Ss buy bilingual or electronic
dictionaries
Effect
a
b
c

40. 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.

41. 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