Discourse Analysis
The study of language above the sentence level — how sentences connect to form coherent texts, how information flows through a passage, and how language structure reflects communicative purpose. Discourse analysis reveals the architecture of meaning across multiple utterances.
17 terms across 4 subcategories
Discourse Markers
Words and phrases that signal relationships between utterances — transitions, attitudes, and structural cues that guide the reader through the text's logic.
and / also / furthermore / moreover / in addition — continuation signal
A discourse marker that signals the addition of information on the same topic — extending, elaborating, or paralleling what came before. Signals continuation rather than change.
but / however / yet / nevertheless / on the other hand — contrast signal
A discourse marker that signals contrast, concession, or contradiction between adjacent ideas. Prepares the reader for information that conflicts with or qualifies the preceding point.
because / therefore / thus / consequently / as a result — cause-effect signal
A discourse marker that signals a cause-effect or reason-result relationship between ideas. Indicates that one proposition explains, justifies, or follows from another.
first / then / next / meanwhile / finally / subsequently — time-sequencing signal
A discourse marker that signals time relationships — sequence, simultaneity, or temporal framing between events or ideas.
in other words / that is / i.e. / to put it simply / essentially — restatement signal
A discourse marker that signals the speaker is restating, clarifying, or re-presenting the same idea in different terms. Used for emphasis, clarity, or correction.
it's worth noting / let me emphasize / as mentioned earlier / to be clear — discourse-about-discourse signal
A discourse marker that comments on the discourse itself rather than its content — signaling what the speaker is about to do, acknowledging the structure of the argument, or managing the reader's attention.
Information Structure
How information is packaged within and across sentences — what is presented as known versus new, what is topicalized versus commented upon, and how focus is managed.
Topic (given) → Comment (new) — aboutness + assertion structure
The division of a sentence into what the sentence is about (topic) and what is said about it (comment). The topic is typically old or given information; the comment provides new information about it.
Given information → New information — familiar-to-unfamiliar flow
The principle that sentences typically begin with information the reader already knows (given) and end with new information. This creates a natural flow from the familiar to the unfamiliar.
Marked syntax → highlighted element — attention-directing construction
Syntactic devices that highlight particular elements for emphasis — cleft sentences, fronting, heavy stress, and other constructions that direct the reader's attention to specific information.
Moved element → sentence-initial topic position — fronting for topichood
Moving an element to the front of a sentence to establish it as the topic — a marked word order that signals 'this is what I'm going to talk about' before delivering the comment.
Cohesion
The linguistic mechanisms that tie sentences and clauses together — the surface-level links that make a text hang together as a connected whole rather than a collection of unrelated sentences.
NP₁... pronoun/demonstrative → same referent — entity-tracking links
Using pronouns, demonstratives, or repeated noun phrases to maintain reference to the same entity across sentences. Creates continuity by tracking participants through the discourse.
Word₁ ... related word₂ — semantic field continuity
Using related words — synonyms, near-synonyms, superordinates, collocates, or words from the same semantic field — to create continuity across sentences without exact repetition.
Sentence₁. Conjunctive expression + Sentence₂ — inter-sentence logical link
Using conjunctive expressions to signal logical relationships between sentences or clauses — addition, contrast, cause, time, or condition. Distinct from grammatical conjunction within clauses.
Coherence Relations
The underlying logical and semantic relationships between discourse segments — the meaning connections that make a text make sense as a unified whole, whether or not they are explicitly marked.
General claim → specific detail — development of existing content
A discourse relation where one segment provides more detail, specification, or explanation of another. The elaborating segment does not add new propositional content but develops existing content.
Cause segment → Effect segment — reason-consequence link
A discourse relation where one segment presents the cause or reason and another presents the resulting effect or consequence. Can be explicitly marked or left for the reader to infer.
Segment A ↔ Segment B — difference or opposition between segments
A discourse relation where two segments present information that differs, conflicts, or provides an alternative perspective. Includes comparison, concession, and antithesis.
If/when condition → then consequence — contingency link
A discourse relation where one segment establishes a hypothetical condition and the other presents the consequence that depends on it. Creates contingent, possible-world reasoning.