Discourse and its сontext: Principles of exploring language and speech phenomena as part of social and professional practices
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu09.2024.408Abstract
This article explores the relationship between discourse and its context, as discussed across various research traditions. It focuses on the complexity and dynamic nature of this relationship, emphasizing the importance of context not only in discourse production but also, and more significantly, in its perception and interpretation by real communicators. One key method of operationalizing context in linguistic and speech phenomena studies involves viewing discourse as a component within practices, where it can serve as a means of enacting the practice or reflecting on the practice itself or a different practice entirely. The paper discusses and compares a variety of theoretical and analytical traditions that examine the actual use of language and speech by communicators, including critical discourse analysis, genre studies, linguistic anthropology, and media studies. This review distinguishes between at least two types of practices — general “social practices” and more specific professional practices — as well as between two types of contexts: the situational and the cultural, noting that some practices may straddle both contexts. Moreover, the review highlights the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to studying linguistic and speech phenomena in context. A conclusion drawn from the review is that context is not, as it were, merely a passive “backdrop” for discourse but actively shapes its meaning and its effect. This concept is traditionally explored in relation to the notion of contextualization. The conclusion calls for further interdisciplinary research to deepen understanding of the complex processes associated with discourse and its contextual embeddedness.
Keywords:
text, discourse, context, contextualization, discourse analysis
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References
Литература
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Cicourel 1987 — Cicourel A. V. The Interpenetration of Communicative Contexts: Examples from Medical Encounters. Social Psychology Quarterl. 1987, 50 (2): 217.
Coupland 2007 — Coupland N. Style: Language Variation and Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Devitt 2015 — Devitt A. J. Genre Performances: John Swales’ Genre Analysis and Rhetorical-Linguistic
Genre Studies. Journal of English for Academic Purposes. 2015, (19): 44–51.
Eckert 2012 — Eckert P. Three Waves of Variation Study: The Emergence of Meaning in the Study of Sociolinguistic Variation. Annual Review of Anthropology. 2012, 41 (1): 87–100.
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Madianou 2008 — Madianou M. Audience Reception and News in Everyday Life. In: Wahl-Jorgensenn K., Hanitzsch T. (eds). The Handbook of Journalism Studies. New York: Routledge, 2008. P. 325–357.
Martin, White 2005 — Martin J. R., White P. R. R. The Language of Evaluation. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
Moreno, Swales 2018 — Moreno A. I., Swales J. M. Strengthening Move Analysis Methodology Towards Bridging the Function-Form Gap. English for Specific Purposes. 2018, (50): 40–63.
Scollon, Scollon 2004 — Scollon R., Scollon S. W. Nexus Analysis: Discourse and the Emerging Internet. London; New York: Routledge, 2004.
Silverstein 1992 — Silverstein M. The Indeterminacy of Contextualization: When Is Enough Enough? In: The Contextualization of Language Pragmatics. Auer P., Di Luzio A. (eds). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 1992. P. 55–76.
Skalicky 2013 — Skalicky S. Was This Analysis Helpful? A Genre Analysis of the Amazon.com Discourse Community and Its “Most Helpful” Product Reviews. Discourse, Context & Media. 2013, 2 (2): 84–93.
Stevenson et al. 2000 — Stevenson N., Jackson P., Brooks K. The Politics of “New” Men’s Lifestyle Magazines. European Journal of Cultural Studies. 2000, 3 (3): 366–385.
Swales 1993 — Swales J. M. Genre and Engagement. Revue Belge de Philologie et D’histoire. 1993, 71 (3): 687–698.
Swales, Rogers 1995 — Swales J. M., Rogers P. Discourse and the Projection of Corporate Culture: The Mission Statement. Discourse & Society. 1995, 6 (2): 223–242.
Talbot 2007 — Talbot M. M. Media Discourse: Representation and Interaction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007.
Wodak 2001 — Wodak R. The Discourse-Historical Approach. In: Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis. Wodak R., Meyer M. (eds). London: Sage Publications Ltd., 2001. P. 63–94.
Wodak 2009 — Wodak R. The Discourse of Politics in Action: Politics as Usual. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2009.
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