Discourse analysis, lecture 2 May 2012 Carina Jahani

Information flow Coherence A discourse may be likened to a knowledge system or data base. When two propositions are part of the same discourse, then they perforce stand in some relation of informational coherence vis-à-vis each other. (Givón 1984: 491)

Not desirable Informational incompatibility Total information redundancy (tautology) But: Each proposition within a coherent discourse must be an informational compromise, containing at least some old information that would insure its linkage to the coherence network of the already-transacted discourse, as well as at least some new information to supersede total redundancy. (Givón 1984: )

Old (background) information Common knowledge Culture-specific knowledge Knowledge provided in the discourse

Basis for knowledge The tree on the hill will be cut down. Uncontested knowledge (direct experience, shared information, etc.) Realis asserted knowledge

Basis for knowledge Children in Uppsala must have read the stories about Pelle Svanslös. Uncontested knowledge (culture specific shared information) Irrealis asserted knowledge

Basis for knowledge Measures have been taken to decrease the pollution in the Baltic Sea. Uncontested knowledge (region specific (?) shared information) Realis asserted knowledge

Basis for knowledge Table in Givón 1984: 504 presupposed knowledge is not contested and does not need to be established in the narration realis assertations can be contested by the hearer and need to be established by the speaker irrealis assertations are likely to be contested by the hearer and they cannot/need not be established by the speaker

Information flow Asserted (realis) declarative sentences in connected discourse are informational hybrids, containing some new information and some presupposed, backgrounded, or topical old information.

The one-chunk-per-clause processing principle The majority of sentences/clauses in connected discourse will have only one chunk under the scope of asserted new information. All other elements in the clause will tend to be topical, background or presupposed old information. Exception: Discourse initial clauses tend to have all or most constituents as new asserted information.

Topical / Propositional topic * Topical information, i.e. old information Givón 1984: 508 * Propositional topic, i.e. the clause is giving (additional) information about this referent usually the subject, can be established or non- established Comment: information given about the topic Levinsohn 2011: 23-24

Wh-questions Wh-questions tend to elicit only one piece of non-established information: Who saw the lion? Whom did the lion kill? Where did the lion hide? What did the lion do?

DO/IO In bi-transitive verbs it is more likely that the IO is new information than the DO

Adverbial arguments Adverbial arguments are optional and tend to be new information in focus.

Information flow It is common for established information to occur earlier in the sentence than new information.

Topic Topic is the established or new information which is the anchor in the clause, ”what the clause is about”. If it is not established it must be easily related to already established information. One day, a young man came to the market to buy fruit. This man was wearing a strange hat. The hat covered his whole face.

Focus Focal information has not been established in the text, or needs to be re-established. One day, a young man came to the market to buy fruit. This man was wearing a strange hat. The hat covered his whole face.

Scope of focus A young man came to the market. The sentence: What happened? The predicate: What did the young man do? An argument: Where did the young man come?

common clause structure leftfrontedclauseright dislocatedelementcoredislocated element

Left dislocated elements Point of departure One morning, he woke up very early In this room, there were only two chairs External topic That animal, it looks very strange

Right dislocated elements (tails) Clarifying or repairing constituents: He is always late, my husband. Peter came at two, at three.

Prominence Prominence can be marked by: phonological features (stress) tone morphological markers marked constitutent order

Established and new information 3 text examples oral narration nursery rhyme written narration Handout no. 1