Education materials

1. RUNNING HEAD:ENG 304 DISCOURSE ANALYSIS 1
ASSIGNMENT I
By
Okello Wilberforce Esonga
21/02258
Submitted to:
Dr: Eston Kwach
Course
Discourse Analysis (ENG 304)
KCA University
Program: Bachelor of Education (Arts)-DL
Program Code: KCABEDUORD
Date: 14/02/2023

2. RUNNING HEAD:ENG 304 DISCOURSE ANALYSIS 2
Describe any 4 types of context in discourse with an example for each. (10 Mks)
Why is it important to understand context? A context is the overall setting in which it
exists or occurs. This is the linguistic term for the part of a discourse that provides context for a
linguistic communication unit and aids in determining its reading. Situational context helps
people understand the meaning of words. Assume that if an air traffic controller tells a pilot that
"the track is full at the minute," they cannot land the plane at that time. When someone tells
someone waiting at the airport, "the track is full at the minute," that person is explaining why the
plane is late; it is not a command to land the plane. The meaning of "the track is full at the
minute" varies depending on the context, from something significant to something that may not
mean much at all. It is essential to consider the physical setting, the social setting, and the mental
words and functions of the people involved in an interaction when trying to make sense of what a
person says.
In discourse analysis, context refers to the broader social system or organizational
framework within which a conversation occurs. A conversation in a bar, for instance, would have
a different setting than one in an office.
Situational context, societal context, cognitive context, and cultural context are four
types of contexts frequently identified by discourse analysts (Jinadu, 2006). One of the
recognized contexts that takes into account the physical environment of the discourse is the
situational context, also known as the context of state of affairs. Furthermore, the interpersonal
and interactive relationships between middlemen are governed by societal factors. Both the
speaker's and the audience's social status, or social category, are significant indicators in
discourse analysis. Cognitive context, which is concerned with the transmission of information
from speaker to hearer, establishes a connection between their common experiences. Both the

3. RUNNING HEAD:ENG 304 DISCOURSE ANALYSIS 3
speaker and the listener bring their own unique worldviews to the conversation, which can be
interpreted in light of shared cultural norms and values.
1. Situational context.
The location, time, and nature of the interaction between speakers are all elements of
what are known as "situational context" or "context of situation." The concept of register has
long been used to approach this theory; it categorizes the ways in which language and context
interact into "field," "tenor," and "mode," respectively. The field of conversation is synonymous
with the ongoing action. We could say that the field is the linguistic reflection of the user's
intentional role in the context of a text. The tenor of a conversation describes the tone and
atmosphere of the underlying social relationship. The concept of tenor emphasizes how linguistic
options are influenced not only by the subject or subject of communication, but also by the
nature of the social relationship in which it takes place. The term "mode" is a linguistic reflection
of the connection between the speaker and the medium through which the message is conveyed.
The most important distinction within mode is between channels that require immediate contact
with other people and those that can wait. A store setting is a good example of a situational
context. The item's price might be the field, the tenor would be a modicum of deference on the
part of the sales associate, and the mode would be a standard question-and-answer exchange in
person.
2. Cultural context
The term "cultural context" is used to describe the historical background, traditions, and
customs of the communities where a language is spoken. As a possible social phenomenon,
language is intrinsically linked to the norms and values of a given group of people. Thus, factors
such as social role, social station, sex, age, etc., have an inevitable impact on the language used.

4. RUNNING HEAD:ENG 304 DISCOURSE ANALYSIS 4
Cultures have roles that are both ingrained in society and widely acknowledged by its members.
We are referring to the participants' social standing, or "social station," here. In a linguistic event,
each participant must know or assume the status of the other participants, and in many cases,
status will also be a significant factor in deciding who should make the first move in a
conversation. Often, one's social standing is determined by or interacts with one's sex and one's
age. Someone of one sex chatting with an older person may use terms of address that are
different from those used in the same context by someone of the same sex or the same age. A
native French speaker interrupting an American may be offensive.
3. Cognitive context
The cognitive context lies in the fact that language users can actively manipulate, choose
and produce a favourable context for discourse production and interpretation. Cognition
encompasses not only the conscious processing of information from the five senses, but also
procedural knowledge and emotional reactions. Discourse is influenced by the so-called
cognitive context, which consists of the participants' individual and shared thoughts, beliefs,
goals, knowledge, and worldviews. The cognitive context must be taken into account if we are to
comprehend the reasons behind the way people write and speak.
In cognitive analysis of discourse, cognitive linguistics’ previously identified processes
(metaphor, metonymy, framing, and image schemata) are applied to the study of language and
how it is used in communication. In this course, you will acquire an understanding of the mind
and its workings and put that understanding to use in the real world. Cognitive discourse analysis
will be used to evaluate not only written but also spoken and televised materials.
4. Social context

5. RUNNING HEAD:ENG 304 DISCOURSE ANALYSIS 5
Social context refers to the social relationship between the speaker and listener(s). Take
for example the relationship between a senior university lecturer, his colleagues, and his first
year students. Discourse can be better understood by considering the social context (such as
education or politics), the thing accomplished by the text (such as legislation or teaching), the
participants and their various communicative, social, and professional roles, the relations
between them, the setting (time, location), and other social or interactional properties of the
communicative event.