BBI3210 INTRODUCTION TO DISCOURSE ANALYSIS (PJJ SEM 2, 2012/2013)
LECTURER: DR AFIDA MOHAMAD ALI
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT (40%)
Instructions:
1)There are 2 questions for this assignment. Each question carries 20 marks.
2)Answer the questions based on what you have learned in the course.
3)Print the assignment and submit to PJJ2 weeks before the final exam.
4)You must refer to the module and my notes in VOD in order to answer the questions.
5)Length of assignment should be 5-7 pages, Font 12 Times New Roman, double-spaced and justified paragraphing.
6)Remember, the more detailed explanation that you provide in the assignment, the easier it is to gain marks.
COURSE ASSIGNMENT 1 (20 MARKS)
Instructions:
Read the two texts carefully. Analyse the texts below and comment how the two texts are different based on the differences between spoken and written discourse (refer to module and my notes). (About 5-7 pages)
Text 1 (Written text)
Sociocultural linguistics represents a unique research perspective in the UCSB Department of Linguistics. Encompassing research traditions including sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, discourse analysis, and others, sociocultural linguistics focuses on how discourse mediates the enactment of social life and the construction of the social world. UCSB researchers in sociocultural linguistics draw on such approaches as ethnography, interactional linguistics, conversation analysis, corpus linguistics, discourse transcription, video analysis, and quantitative analysis. Sociocultural linguistics contributes to research on linguistic structure at UCSB by clarifying how a speaker’s selection of particular linguistic structures is influenced by the social and interactional contexts in which they are deployed. Sociocultural linguistic research in the department includes work on epistemic and affective stance and on subjectivity and intersubjectivity in interaction, as well as research on the linguistic construction of social identities based on gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, age, and other factors; the linguistic and discourse representation of speech and speakers; and the linguistic and cultural ideologies that shape language use.
Text 2
Mama died two nights ago…very quietly. No one expected… we were surprise because she’s awways so…noisy. Dono why but I diden cry much.. In fac, I tink I feel…I feel…diffren…maybe like …like more free. Anyway, she never love me much lah….never. I know because she even tole somebody, in fron of me…”I onny love der boys, she said. Der girl I hate”.
Mama love der younges boy der mose. Everything Huat. ‘Waa, my Huat got firs clas in der U…my Huat jus back from tour, wen to Englan. You know how much dat cos?’ Huat is now working in Kolumpur, seldom come back. Mama sick time, I call him to come and see her…he said got too much work. Now he’s crying at der coffin. Wafor wan to to cry now? Wen she was alive, nobody cared, now wy cry?
Firs broder worse some more. He living in Penang, only take twenty minutes to come from his house, awso never bodered to come. Only wen he wans to borrow money from Mama, from me, from dono how many people. Until der spinster auntie living opposite said she heard he’s awso borrowing from der chettiar. Dat one der intres no joke. Every hundred, he got to give intres twenty..twenty yu know… so he got no money lef to return us. Mama shakes her head awways.
(Spoken language - Adapted from Kee, 2001)
COURSE ASSIGNMENT 2 (20 MARKS)
Instructions:
- Analyse the following text with respect to its cohesive devices and features of coherence.
- Report your findings in the form of an essay to argue that it is a cohesive and coherent piece of discourse.
- In your essay, you need to mention the cohesive feature, its definition, in which line(s) did it occur and present the exact sentence which contains the particular cohesive device. You need to mention all the instances of that particular cohesive device found in the text. Refer to page 85 in your PJJ BBI3210 module on how I would like your essay to be. (5-7 pages)
It is noted that the average person spends about three hours a day sitting in front of the TV set, which is half of their leisure time. And, it is known that heavy viewers report watching eight hours a day. The question is, “Are these people addicted to the television?”
First, let’s define an addiction. It is said that addiction is characterized by spending an unusually large amount of time using a substance that is addictive; finding oneself using it more often than intended; thinking about reducing the use, and are making repeated unsuccessful attempts to reduce it; giving up social activities to use the substance, and reporting withdrawal symptoms when one does achieve stopping the use.
Television can teach and amuse, and it does provide needed distraction and escape. Yet, the difficulty arises when one strongly senses the need to stop viewing as much, and yet find they are unable to reduce viewing. In 1997, 700 Japanese children were rushed to a hospital to be treated with epileptic seizures. These seizures were later attributed to a program which was aired that involved an exaggerated version of the Pokemon game that had flashing colorful lights.
Laboratory experiments have also been done to study people’s reactions to TV by monitoring brain waves by the use of EEG (electroencephalograph). Those who participated in the study carried a beeper. They were signaled six to eight times a day randomly over the period of a week. When they heard the beep, they were to write down what they were doing and how they were feeling. People who were watching TV when beeped reported feeling relaxed and passive. The studies showed less mental stimulation as measured by alpha brain-wave production during viewing TV than if these participants had been reading. After the television set was turned off, this study showed the participants were still very relaxed and passive as if all energy had left them.
This suggests that TV viewing has a numbing effect, and reaction to the body is likened to that of a tranquilizer. Drowsiness occurs, and one may even experience depression as the viewing continues. A person actually disengages from real life becoming immersed in what is being shown on the screen which, in turn, causes excessive viewing; more so than anticipated in the beginning. / Line 1
Line 5
Line 10
Line 15
Line 20
Line 25
Line 30
Line 35
1