What is discourse?
Discourse is language used in a real situation. It is longer than a sentence: a chat, a speech, a news report, a letter, a post.
To study it we ask four questions.
- Who is speaking or writing?
- Who is it for?
- Why: to inform, persuade, entertain or share feelings?
- Where: in a classroom, on a phone, in a newspaper?
These four make up the context. Words are chosen to fit it.
Cohesion and connectives
Cohesion means the visible links that tie sentences together.
- Connectives: and, but, so, because, however, then, finally.
- Pronouns: Mira ... she ... her.
- Repeated or related words: bus, road, walk.
- Replacing words: "The walk" can become "it". Leaving words out also links: "Mira missed the bus and (she) walked."
Pick the connective for the job: so (result), but (contrast), because (reason), then (time order).
Coherence and structure
Coherence means the text makes sense as a whole. A text can have many links and still not make sense, like "The bus is yellow. So the moon is far."
Most texts have a shape.
- Opening: introduces the topic.
- Middle: gives details, reasons or events.
- Ending: sums up or closes.
Each genre has its own shape. A story has a problem and a result. A news report puts the main fact first. An argument gives a claim, reasons and a conclusion. A letter has a greeting and a sign-off.
Context, register and genre
Register is the style we choose for the situation: formal with a headteacher, chatty with a friend. Genre is the kind of text: a poster, a review, a speech, a recipe.
- Chatty: short words, incomplete sentences, slang, emoji.
- Formal: longer words, full sentences, connectives like consequently.
Meaning also depends on shared knowledge. "It is cold in here" can be a fact, or a polite request to close the window. The context tells us which.
Texts that express views about language
Some writers write about language itself: whether slang is lazy, whether a language is dying, whether children should be corrected. To read such a text, check four things.
- Representing language: how does the writer describe language? With words like "decline" or "creative"? These words show a view.
- A writer's identity: what kind of person do they present: a teacher, a parent, a young speaker? Their voice and examples build it.
- Positioning readers: do they say "we all know" to push you to agree, or ask a question to make you think?
- Wider debates: link the text to bigger questions, such as who decides what is correct, how technology changes writing and how languages are protected.
Reading language data and sharing results
To study real language, collect a small sample: ten messages, a speech, a set of ads. Then:
- Ask one question, like "Which connectives appear most?"
- Count or mark what you find.
- Look for a pattern and a reason linked to context.
- Share: say what you found, show two examples, and say what the sample cannot prove (it is small).
Try it: take three lines of a chat and rewrite them as a formal notice. List which links you added.
Key formulas and definitions
- Text = sentences + links (cohesion) + shape (coherence) + context
- Context = speaker + listener + purpose + place
- Common connectives: so (result), but (contrast), because (reason), then (order)
- Views about language = how it is described + writer's identity + positioning of readers
Worked examples
1. Name the cohesive device: "Mira missed the bus. So she walked."
"So" is a connective of result. "She" is a pronoun that points back to Mira.
2. Is this coherent: "The exam starts at nine. Bananas are yellow. Bring a pen."?
No. The middle sentence has no link to the topic. Without it the text makes sense, so it breaks coherence.
3. Rewrite "missed the bus lol, walked" for a school notice.
The student missed the bus and therefore walked to school. (Full sentences, formal connective, no slang.)
4. A writer says "Everyone knows texting ruins spelling." What is the effect?
It positions the reader to agree by pretending the view is shared. A careful reader asks for evidence.
Common mistakes
- Thinking cohesion and coherence are the same. Cohesion is visible links; coherence is overall sense.
- Piling on connectives. Too many "however" and "therefore" do not fix an unclear idea.
- Ignoring context. A word can be polite in one place and rude in another.
- Calling one register "correct" and another "wrong". Each fits its own situation.