Assignment Applied Laguage Thomtq2008

University of languages & international studies - Vnu, Hanoi Post - graduate department

Discourse analysis

By: Do Thi Thom Date of birth: 19-11-1969. Place of birth: Tuyen Quang. Group: PG7. Tel: 0982145269 E- mail: Thomtq2007 For: Assoc. Prof. Dr.Vo Dai Quang.

Ha noi, June 2008.

INTRODUCTION

Discourse analysis is concerned with the study of the relationship between language and the contexts which is used so it covers the study of spoken and written interaction. When one studies a language, he will learn that vocabulary is important but grammar is also just as important as vocabulary. As one sees it, grammar is an essential part of learning a language. However how to learn and use grammar in the most advantageous way is not easy at all. The traditional way of teaching grammar that I have been using, in my opinion, is not quite effective in terms of production. Although students learn the grammar points well, these do not help them to write or speak a language effectively and communicatively. The functional grammar I have just known, on the other hand, gives rise to a way of learning language which focuses on the purpose rather than on a set of rules. In other words, Functional Grammar focuses on “how the language is being used in discourse, rather than simply the labeling of their form”. Grammar is not a means in itself but a means to an end. In this assignment, I am going to analyze a student’s short essay using functional grammar. Then basing on the strengths and weaknesses of the student’s writing, I will know what I should do to help better his writing as well as other students’ writing skills.

development The essay was written by a Vietnamese student at an intermediate level of proficiency. He was to write an essay “arguing against giving students assignments to do during their holidays.” Many teachers think that by offering their students a lot of assignments to do during their holidays, they will consolidate and use their time beneficially. This practice is now open to criticism. Holidays should be a time for relaxation and recuperation. Holidays are meant to give students a well-deserved rest and an opportunity for exercise. Burdened with more school work, they are likely to suffer a breakdown of their health. “All work no play makes Jack a dull boy” so goes an English proverb. Holidays help bring more variety into a student’s life. Learning activities can take place outside the classroom. These activities can teach them more than books. In the end, I think the practice of giving students homework to do during their holidays should be discouraged. It is a sharp mind, not a stuffed head that is the key to success in life. It would be better to have shorter holidays – 3 or 4 days at most.

TEXT ANALYSIS 1. Many teachers think that by offering their students a lot of assignments to do during their holidays, they will consolidate and use their time beneficially. Experiential: Many teachers Nominal group

think

they

will consolidate and their time use Process : Material Nominal group

Nominal group

Process Mental

Interpersonal:

(that) by offering students a lot of assignments to do during their holidays : Pp phrase beneficially Adverbial group

Declarative Mood Many think teachers Subject Finite / predicator Mood Block

by offering students a lot of homework to do during their holidays Dependent non-finite clause

(that)

they will consolidate and use their time Subject Finite Pre- dicator Complement Mood Block Re-

beneficially Adjunct -sidue

Textual: Many teachers think Topical Theme

Rheme

they Topical Theme

(that) by offering students a lot of homework to do during their holidays Rheme

will consolidate and use their time beneficially Rheme

2. This practice is now open to criticism. Experiential: This practice is Nominal Process : Relational group Interpersonal: Declarative Mood This practice is Subject Finite Predicator Mood

now open to criticism Adverbial group Modifier Pp phrase

now / Adjunct Block

open to criticism Complement Residue

Textual: This practice is now open to criticism. Topical Theme Rheme 3. Holidays should be a time for relaxation and recuperation.

Experiential: Holidays

should be

a time

Nominal group

Process : Relational

Nominal group

for relaxation recuperation. Pp phrase

and

Interpersonal: Declarative Mood Holidays should be a time for relaxation and recuperation. Subject Finite Predicator Complement Mood Block Residue Textual: Holidays Topical Theme

should be a time for relaxation and recuperation. Rheme

4. Holidays are meant to give students a well-deserved rest and an opportunity for exercise. Experiential: Holidays Nominal group

are meant to give Process : Material

and Conjunctive Adjunct

an opportunity Nominal group

students Nominal group

a well-deserved rest Nominal Group

for exercise. Pp phrase

Interpersonal: Declarative Mood Holidays are Subject Mood

meant to give

Finite Predicator Block Residue

students a well deserved rest and an opportunity for exercise. Complement

Textual: Holidays Topical Theme

are meant to give students a well-deserved rest and an opportunity for exercise. Rheme

5. Burdened with more school work, they are likely to suffer a breakdown of their health. Experiential: Burdened with more they school work,

are likely to suffer

a breakdown of their health.

Non-finite clause

Process: Behavioural

Nominal Group

Nominal group

Interpersonal: Declarative Mood Burdened with more they school work, Non-finite clause Subject Mood

are

likely

to suffer

Finite Block

Adj Residue

a breakdown of their health. Predicator Complement

Textual: Burdened with school work, Rheme

more they Topical Theme

are likely to suffer a breakdown of their health. Rheme

6. “All work no play makes Jack a dull boy” so goes an English proverb. Experiential: “All work no play makes Jack a dull so goes boy” Embedded clause Adjunct Process: Material Interpersonal: Declarative Mood

an English proverb. Nominal Group

“All work no play makes Jack a dull boy” Subject Mood

so

goes

an English proverb

Finite /Predicator Block

Complement Residue

Textual: “All work no play makes Jack a dull boy” Topical Theme

so goes an English proverb. Rheme

7. Holidays help bring more variety into a student’s life. Experiential: Holidays Nominal group

help bring Process: Material

more variety Modifier Nominal Group

into a student’s life Pp phrase

Interpersonal: Declarative Mood Holidays help bring more variety into a student’s life. Subject Finite Predicator Complement Mood Bloc Residue k Textual: Holidays Topical Theme

help bring more variety into a student’s life. Rheme

8. Learning activities can take place outside the classroom. Experiential: Learning activities can take place Nominal group Process: Material Interpersonal:

outside the classroom. Pp phrase

Declarative Mood Learning activities can Subject Finite Mood Block

take place Predicator

outside the classroom. Complement Residue

Textual: Learning activities can take place outside the classroom. Topical Theme Rheme 9. These activities can teach them more than books. Experiential: These activities Nominal group

can teach Process: Material

Interpersonal: Declarative Mood These activities can Subject Finite Mood Block

them Nominal group

teach Predicator Residue

more than books. Modifier Nominal group

them more than books. Complement

Textual: These activities Topical Theme

can teach them more than books. Rheme

10.In the end, I think the practice of giving students homework to do during their holidays should be discouraged. Experiential: In the end Adjunct

I Nominal group

think Process : Mental

(that)

the practice of giving students homework to do during their should be discouraged. holidays Nominal group Process: Material Interpersonal:

Declarative Mood In the end I Conjunctiv e adjunct Mood

Subjec t

think

(that)

the practice of giving students homework to do during their holidays Subject

Finite / predicator Block

Residue Mood

should be discouraged Finite Predicator Block Residue Textual: In the end Textual Theme

I Topical Theme

think Rheme

(that)

the practice of giving students homework to do during their should be discouraged. holidays Topical Theme Rheme 11.It is a sharp mind, not a stuffed head, which is the key to success in life. Experiential: It Nominal group

is Process Relational

a sharp mind, : Nominal Group

not Adj

that Adj

is Process Relational

the key : Nominal Group

to success Pp phrase

Interpersonal: Declarative Mood It is Subject Finite Predicator Mood Block

a sharp mind, / Complement

not Adj

a stuffed head Nominal Group

a stuffed head, Complement

Residue

that

is Finite Predicator Mood Block

the key to success in life. / Complement Residue

Textual: It Topical Theme

is a sharp mind, not a stuffed that head, Rheme

is the key to success in life. Rheme

12.It would be better to have shorter holidays – 3 or 4 days at most. Experiential: It

would be

Nominal group

Process : Relational

better

to have shorter holidays – 3 or 4 days at most. Modifier Non-finite clause

Interpersonal: Declarative Mood It would be better to have shorter holidays – 3 or 4 days at most. Subject Finite Predicator Complement Mood Block Residue Textual: It Topical Theme

would be better to have shorter holidays – 3 or 4 days at most. Rheme

Evaluation of the text Strengths On the whole, this text is good enough, considering he is a Vietnamese student at intermediate level. His essay has an introduction, two supporting paragraphs in which he gives ideas, opinions and examples to elaborate his main topic, and a conclusion. He also gives a suggestion to the problems. To some extent, he has achieved his goal: to write an essay against giving students assignment during holidays.

Weaknesses

The main weakness of the text is that there are almost no conjunctions to connect one idea to others. Besides, as seen from the analysis, there is an unbalance between the arguments. The second argument is shorter than the first. Consequently, the ideas are unevenly organized. There are also some mistakes in the choice of vocabulary and grammar.

Suggestions for improvement In my opinion, the second argument in the third paragraph could be made stronger if the student gives some examples of the activities taking place outside the classroom. The examples could be going on a picnic with their friends, climbing the mountain, or taking a ride in the countryside. They will elaborate the topical sentence much more clearly, for the readers know what “these activities” are. As for the coherence and cohesion of the text, I also suggest before the second and the third paragraph there should be conjunctive adjuncts such as first, second. And the conjunctive adjunct in the last paragraph should change from “In the end” into “To sum up” or “In a word”. “offering their students a lot of assignments to do” could be changed as “giving / setting their students …” Some changes with the theme:  The second “holidays” in “Holidays are meant …” should change into “they”  “they” in “they are likely…”should change to “students”.

Implication for teaching From the analysis of the student’s writing, as a teacher I see that the student’s problems lie in the organization of the text and some correct use of words and expressions. The following steps are what I can do in class to improve students in writing a good expository essay. After that the students will write the expository essay again. First I will provide students with some conjunctions, transition words or signal words that may be useful in an expository essay such as first, then, finally, to sum up, etc. and a text model of a good expository essay. Then I will give students some exercises on the coherence and cohesion of the text.

 Exercise 1 is for students to practice transitions words and phrases. Students are given some paragraphs and work in pairs to add conjunctions to link ideas together, using the conjunctions of their own or those given by the teacher.  Exercise 2 is to practice the theme-rheme. Students are also given some paragraphs in which the subjects are the same from the beginning till the end or which there is a misunderstanding in using reference. Again, students work in pairs to figure out and make any necessary changes.  Students are asked to build up the arguments that can be included in the essay as well as the supporting ideas to elaborate these arguments.  Teacher gives students a checklist in order to know the development of their text. What is the purpose of the text? 1. What are your arguments? 2. Do you have enough supporting sentences for your arguments (such as your ideas or some examples)? 3. Do you have a check of the punctuation, spelling or grammar used in your text? 4. Students then review their own text again and make any possible correction and changes.  Students will work in pairs and do “peer editing”. They are encouraged to give their opinions and comments on their partner’s writing.  Students will collect their peers’ suggestions and finish their paper as homework.  Students will hand in their papers in the next lesson.

Conclusion Course analysis is very essential in teaching and learning language because with a more accurate picture of natural discourse, we are in a better position to evaluate the description upon which we base our teaching, students’ learning, the teaching materials, what goes on in the classroom and the end products of our teaching, whether in the form of spoken or written output… With the hope that these steps: Text anlysics, evaluation of the text,strength, weaknesses, suggestions for improvement, implication for teaching… in this assignment can help better students in their writing. I have analyzed a student’s short essay using functional grammar. Then basing on the strengths and weaknesses of the student’s writing, I have already known what I should do to help better his writing as well as other students’ writing skills.through the aboved steps.

REFERENCES -

Introducing applied linguistics. ( Assoc,Prof. Vo Dai Quang )

- Discourse analysis.( Vo Dai quang,Ph.D 2004) - Lectures on principles of phonetics and phonology. (Pro. Dr Vo Dai Quang) - Lectures on English grammar.( Assoc.Pro.Dr Vo Dai Quang ) - Useful hints for writing practice. ( Vo Dai Quang, Ph.D, Vu Thuy Quynh, M.A)