Discourse Analysis

Oxford Introductions to Language Study

by H.G. Widdowson

An account of how meaning is expressed and interpreted in spoken and written texts. The book explains key concepts like context, co-text and schema and explores their relevance to an understanding of how texts are constructed and interpreted. It discusses the relationship between analysis and interpretation with particular reference to the work of critical discourse analysis, and looks at the contribution that corpus linguistics has made to the analysis and interpretation of text.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction

152 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1980

About the author

Professor Henry Widdowson is an internationally acclaimed authority in applied linguistics and language teaching. His many books, articles, and lectures have been seminal in establishing both the field of applied linguistics and its mode of enquiry.

For many years he was the Applied Linguistics adviser to Oxford University Press. He was the co-editor of Language Teaching: A Scheme for Teacher Education and the series editor of Oxford Introductions to Language Study and the author of Linguistics in the same series. He is series adviser of Oxford Bookworms Collection.

His latest work, Defining Issues in English Language Teaching, appears in the Oxford Applied Linguistics series alongside several other of his titles, including Teaching Language as Communication, Practical Stylistics, Learning Purpose and Language Use, and Explorations in Applied Linguistics 1 and 2.

Professor Henry Widdowson is Emeritus Professor of Education, University of London, and has also been Professor of Applied Linguistics at Essex University and Professor of English Linguistics at the University of Vienna.

'[Widdowson is] a theorist of language and language teaching. His extensive writings have addressed the most significant areas in the field.'

'Widdowson consistently defends clear-thinking and clear presentation of ideas. For international ESOL, he has probably been the most influential philosopher of the late twentieth century.'

Christopher Brumfit, Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning

Reviews

[Aoife]

This is a really good introduction to discourse analysis for those who have no previous notions of this subject, although it is necessary a basic knowledge of linguistics and syntaxis in order to understand it to its fullest level.

[Jessica]

I skipped the Section 2 Readings, but basically got the gist of the textbook. The brevity was appreciated, and the examples even more so. Important key terms in bold.

[Falsa Indentidad]

Very Complicated .... not the sort of book for beginners

[Emakartina]

Oh my God.. I can't read this book.. how's it working?.. there are no options explore book, read now or open or something to read the book.. please help me.. anyone..