Communities developing resources and competencies for using their languages
Foundational understanding for language development work of all kinds
Publications, fonts and computer tools for language development, translation and research
SIL offers training in disciplines relevant to sustainable language development.
7,105 languages are spoken or signed. CLICK for map of world languages & regional websites.
SIL's dedication to language development past and present
Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations and symbols
Chapter 1: Why Discourse Analysis? 1.1 Word order 1.2 Functions of different forms of the verb 1.3 Participant reference in discourse 1.4 Definitivization and deictics 1.5 Temporal and locational expressions; adverbial clauses 1.6 Sequence signals and conjunctions 1.7 Mystery particles 1.8 The length of syntactic units 1.9 Conclusion 1.10 Exercises
Chapter 2: A Layman’s Introduction to Discourse Analysis 2.1 What different forms of verbs contribute to a story 2.2 What nouns and pronouns do within a story 2.3 How verbs and referents interplay in the structure of this paragraph 2.4 Internal relations in the text: Cohesion and coherence 2.5 Marking a great moment within a story 2.6 What part does each sentence play in the plan of the whole? 2.7 The resultant constraints on interpretation 2.8 Exercise Appendix 2A. Paragraph analysis: Tree diagram Appendix 2B. Paragraph analysis: Indentation diagram
Chapter 3: Text Typology 3.1 An etic scheme of discourse types 3.2 An emic scheme of discourse types in Aguacatec (Mayan) 3.3 Sample texts from English 3.4 Exercises
Chapter 4: Approaching a Narrative: Constituent Charting and Macrosegmentation 4.1 Constituent charting of a text 4.2 Macrosegmentation of a text 4.3 Comparative charting as a translation check 4.4 Conclusion 4.5 Exercises Appendix 4. Constituent chart of “Hans”
Chapter 5: How the Listener/Reader Follows a Story 5.1 Salience scheme for English 5.2 Salience scheme in chaining languages 5.3 Conclusion 5.4 Exercises
Chapter 6: Participant Reference: Discourse Operations and Ranking 6.1 Three variable factors 6.2 “Hans” 6.3 The Three Little Pigs 6.4 Summary for English participant reference 6.5 Conclusion 6.6 Exercises
Chapter 7: Clause Combining in Discourse 7.1 Co-ranking and chaining structures 7.2 Clause combining devices 7.3 Distribution and functions of clause combining devices in English 7.4 Distribution and functions of clause combining devices in chaining structures 7.5 Conclusions 7.6 Exercises Appendix 7A. Notional structure combinations of propositions Appendix 7B. English sentence types by nuclei Appendix 7C. English sentence margins
Chapter 8: Drafting Trees for Discourses and Paragraphs 8.1 Representations of extensive sections including whole discourses 8.2 Representations of paragraph structures 8.3 Concluding remarks 8.4 Exercise Appendix 8A. Paragraph types Appendix 8B. Dialogue and similar paragraph types
Chapter 9: Procedural Discourse 9.1 Segmentation of English procedural discourse 9.2 Characteristics of a Korean recipe 9.3 Toward a characterization of procedural discourse 9.4 Conclusions 9.5 Exercises
Chapter 10: Hortatory Discourse 10.1 The hortatory template 10.2 Text organization 10.3 Peak 10.4 Mainline and supportive information 10.5 Sample text analyses 10.6 Conclusions 10.7 Exercises Appendix 10. Paragraph structure of “The Working Person”
Chapter 11: Expository Discourse 11.1 Analysis of Psalm 23 in tree structure 11.2 Analysis according to the structure of information 11.3 Conclusion 11.4 Exercises Appendix 11A. Ephesians 1:3–14 (NIV) Appendix 11B. Alzheimer disease text
Glossary References Language Index Index
