Context, text type and text

Silvia IRIMIEA, PhD

Associate Professor of Linguistics and Communication Studies

Discourse analysis, 2007

Contexts of use

Texts do not only connect internally, but also connect with their context of
use
PRAGMATICS: the study of language in its contexts of use and of how these
contexts impact on the way we produce and interpret texts
The pragmatic meaning of an utterance is context sensitive, it is therefore
more variable than the semantic meaning, which is more fixed.
For example

Steam = the hot vapor formed by boiling water

!
Steam
The relations between a text and its context are visible or transparent because of
the shared cultural context

Discourse analysis, 2007

Contexts of use

For a perfect cup, use one tea bag

per person and add freshly drawn
boiling water. Leave standing for
3-5 minutes before stirring gently.
Can be served with or without
milk or sugar.

TEA
The is made by pouring boiling water
on to tea leaves. The leaves come
from tea bushes, which are grown
mainly in India, Sri Lanka and
China. Tea first came to Europe
from China in the 1600s. At first it
was brewed and stored in barrels,
like beer.

Discourse analysis, 2007

S1: Chris, do you want some cream

on yours or?
S2: Just a little bit.
S1: Its terrible for your arteries.
S5: Have a cup of tea and wash it
down.
S6: So Adam, coffee?
S5: Ill have a coffee as well thanks,

We followed John in the tiled caf. It

was set back from the road and
was not so far from where our van
was now parked.
Its a French hotel John whispered. I
think it might be a bit expensive.
Well just have some tea, Mum
reassured him and we sat down in
the shade of the terrace.
The tea they brought was made from
mint leaves and was very very
sweet. Mum looked into the pot.
its like syrup in there, she said.

Discourse analysis, 2007

Predicting text type in context

What texts would you expect to find in:

a teachers room (1)

a bus (2)
A magazine targeted at teenage girls (3)

Discourse analysis, 2007

1: short texts- administrative and factual (announcements, of changes, meeting

times, lists of stand-by duties, minutes of meetings, etc),
- texts with a regulatory function(appeals to teachers and students to
clean up after eating, to fill in class registers, etc),
- ephemeral (texts advertising local charity services, donations, charity
etc, light-hearted material of marginal relevance such as cartoon
clipped from a magazine, a postcard etc)
2: informal:
- texts about holidays,
- texts about factual information (timetables, routes , fares, etc)
- advertisements,
- rules and regulations
3: a variety of text types:
- factual information,
- interpersonal advice-type texts
- advertising
Discourse analysis, 2007

Text functions

Referring= using language to convey or solicit information

Expressing feelings= saying, for example, what you like or dislike
Regulating= using language to influence people and get things done,
such as requesting, ordering, giving or refusing permission, promising,
warning etc
Interacting= using language to establish and maintain social relations
(social/interpersonal function)
Playing= using language imaginatively and playfully

Discourse analysis, 2007

Context and register

Context components (contextual dimensions) that influence text production:

The what of the situation (= what kind of social activity is going on, and
about what sort of topic)= FIELD
The who of the situation (=the participants, their relationships etc)=
TENOR
The how of the situation (=the means by which the text is being created,
e.g. email, face-to-face talk, broadcast talk, written monologue, etc)=
MODE

FIELD + TENOR + MODE = REGISTER

REGISTER= different choices of grammar and vocabulary generate different
textual effects that we recognize as being appropriate to the context of the
texts use

Discourse analysis, 2007