assgn discourse markers article

8/12/2019 Assgn Discourse Markers Article

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LAHORE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN UNIVERSITY, LAHORE

ASSIGNMENT

ANALYSIS OF DISCOURSE MARKERS IN A NEWSPAPER

ARTICLE

LANGUAGE, DISCOURSE AND SOCIETY

INSTRUCTOR: MS. AYESHA BUTT

SUBMITTED BY: SHAGUFTA MOGHAL

ROLL NO: 16


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ANALYSIS OF DISCOURSE MARKERS IN A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

What are Discourse Markers?

Discourse markers (words like 'however', 'although' and 'Nevertheless') are referred to more

commonly as 'linking words' and 'linking phrases', or 'sentence connectors'. They may be

described as the 'glue' that binds together a piece of writing, making the different parts of the text

'stick together'. They are used less frequently in speech, unless the speech is very formal.

Without sufficient discourse markers in a piece of writing, a text would not seem logically

constructed and the connections between the different sentences and paragraphs would not be

obvious.

Care must also be taken, however, to avoid over-use of discourse markers. Using too many of

them, or using them unnecessarily, can make a piece of writing sound too heavy and 'artificial'.

They are important, but must only be used when necessary.

Different types of Discourse Markers and their positioning:

There are many discourse markers that express different relationships between ideas. Sentenceconnectors do not always begin a completely new sentence; they may be separated from the

previous idea with a semi-colon.

Some sentence connectors can be placed in different positions within the sentence: initial

position (e.g. Because he is ill, he needs to rest.) and 'mid-way position' at the start of another

clause (e.g. He must rest, because he is ill).

The most common types of relationship between ideas, and the sentence connectors that are most

often used to express these relationships, are given in the table below. The discourse markers in

the table are generally used at the start of a phrase or clause.


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Linking the Paragraphs:

In much the same way that ideas within a paragraph are linked, a new paragraph must be linked

in some way with the previous one. This, too, necessitates the use of discourse markers.

Here are some different ways in which the opening of a paragraph can link back to what has

happened before.

The three basic types of paragraph-paragraph relationship are : reinforcement of idea; contrast of

idea; and concession. Indicating these relationships builds a 'bridge' between paragraphs and

makes reading the text easier.


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Selected Newspaper Article:

The article chosen for analysis is a short sports bulletin that was published in The Dawn on

March 10, 2014. A digital copy of the article is given below.

[the article was accessed on the day of its publishing from the following link;

http://epaper.dawn.com/DetailNews.php?StoryText=10_03_2014_008_003]


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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SRI LANKAS VICTORY

The Topic of the Article:

This newspaper article is about the recent cricket match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Sri

Lanka has got victory against Pakistan and won Asia Cup. The writer in this article has given the

background information about the two countries that how well they have played and what are the

weaknesses of the loosing team.


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Use of discourse markers in the Article:

Discourse markers have been used for many purposes in the above article. A list of the discourse

markers is given below, in the order which they occur:

Yet again, to give them credit, on the other hand, in the final analysis, with the exception

of, indeed, as for the, too, however.

These discourse markers can be sorted by their different purposes in to several categories, as

shown in the following table:

Purpose Instances Explanation

Making what you

say stronger

[Reinforcement of

Ideas]

Yet again It refers to the earlier phrases won for the fifth

time and remain unbeaten throughout;

reinforces the idea of the strength of Sri Lankan

team and their string of wins.


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In the final analysis

Indeed

Too

This refers to the examination of the poor

performance of the Pakistani team, including the

individual evaluation of its players, reaching to a

final conclusion which reinforces the analysis

that the Pakistani team performed poorly.

This reinforces the final analysis of the

Pakistani teams performance further, by

recounting the players by name and mention

them as being thrashed.

Makes a cataphoric reference to the poor

bowling and fielding of the Pakistani team.

Making an

unexpected contrast

[Concession]

To give them credit

With the exception of

This marks the concession given to the

intelligence and great performance of the Sri

Lankan captain and his team, which resulted in

their win.

The article thrashes the bowling of the Pakistani

cricket team, but this markers, makes a contrast

to the performance of Saeed Ajmal and makes a

concession for him.

Contrasting two

separate things

[Contrast of Idead]

On the other hand

However

This contrasts the performances of the Pakistani

team with the Sri Lankans and shows how they

are the complete opposite.

This targets the team management of Pakistan

who are also responsible for their poor

performance. The focus is shifted from the team


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to the managers.

Saying why

something is the

case

[Cause and effect]

As for the This refers to one of the reasons for the poor

performance of the Pakistanis, their fielding. It is

named as the Achilles Heel of the National

team.

Conclusion:

From the above tabulated analysis, it can easily be seen that the use of strategically placed

discourse markers helps knit the entire text into one coherent whole. The discourse markers serve

multiple purposes, which help define the point of view of the writer and tells the positive and

negative attributes of the main subjects of the article; in this instance, the Pakistani and Sri

Lankan teams and their performance in Asia Cup 2014.


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