Discourse Analysis is an ideal textbook for students taking a first course in linguistic approaches to discourse. It presupposes no previous coursework in linguistics. It is designed to encourage students to think about discourse analysis as an open-ended heuristic, a set of techniques for systematically studying every possible source of the meaning of a sequence of speech or writing. Chapters cover the complex relationships between discourse and various aspects of context, such as linguistic structure, participants and prior discourse. Discussion questions and ideas for small research projects are interspersed throughout. Each chapter ends with a set of suggested supplementary readings. Clearly written, accessible, up to date, and comprehensive, Discourse Analysis is useful for teachers and students in many disciplines.

Contents Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Discourse and World. 3. Discourse Structure: Parts and Sequences. 4. Speakers, Hearers, Audiences. 5. Prior Texts, Prior Discourses. 6. Discourse and Medium. 7. Discourse and Purpose. 8. Some General Themes. Glossary. References.