Discourse Structure
Definition
The way a text or conversation is organised above the sentence level: the sequence of moves in an argument, the turn-taking structure of an interview, the use of topic-marking and discourse connectives. Discourse structure is one of the more reliable indicators of a text's origin because speakers organise arguments and conversations in habitual ways.
- Level of analysis
- Above the sentence level
- Includes
- Argument sequencing, turn-taking, connectives
- Forensic value
- Relatively stable indicator of authorship
- Field
- Forensic linguistics
Common questions
Why is discourse structure considered more reliable than vocabulary for identifying authorship?+
Vocabulary and spelling can be consciously altered or disguised fairly easily, but the habitual way a person organises an argument, sequences a narrative, or manages conversational turns tends to persist even when someone tries to write differently.
How is discourse structure analysed in an interview transcript?+
Analysts examine how topics are introduced and closed, who controls turn-taking, and the pattern of discourse markers used to link ideas, comparing these patterns across known and questioned samples from the same speaker.
Related terms
- Corpus
- A principled, structured collection of texts or transcripts used as the basis for systematic frequency analysis. In forensic work a comparison corpus...
- Dialect
- A variety of language defined by a geographic region or social group, characterised by systematic differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar from...
- Function Words
- Grammatical words, prepositions, conjunctions, articles, pronouns, with little independent content meaning but high frequency in any text. Because they are used without...
- Idiolect
- The language variety specific to an individual, comprising their characteristic vocabulary, syntactic preferences, spelling habits, punctuation patterns, and discourse-level style. Authorship attribution...
- Register
- The variety of language associated with a particular situation, task, or relationship. Register varies along dimensions of formality, technicality, and interactional mode....