Concept of discourse

Discourse - the multiple-valued term of a number of the humanities, which subject directly or indirectly assumes studying of functioning of language - linguistics, literary criticism, semiotics, sociology, philosophy, ethnology and anthropology. The accurate and conventional definition "discourse" covering all cases of its use, doesn't exist and it isn't excluded what exactly it promoted the wide popularity acquired by this term for the last decades.

The concept “discourse” (fr.discours, eng.discourse) began widely used at the beginning of 70 years XX centaury in the value, close to in what in the Russian linguistics there was a term "functional style". Discourse was the functional style in those times.

It is used in three directions: discourse as speech, “entered in a communicative situation and owing to this fact as category with more distinctly expressed social contents in comparison with speech activity of the individual”. [14;95]

Second direction – using this concept as way of saying - what or whose discourse, because research man have interest in not discourse at all, and its concrete versions which are set by a wide set of parameters: purely language distinctive features (in that measure in what they can be distinctly identified), stylistic specifics (in many respects defined by quantitative tendencies in use of language means), and also specifics of subject, systems of belief, ways of a reasoning. [14;96]

There is, at last, the third use of the term "discourse" connected first of all with a name of the German philosopher and sociologist Y.Habermas. It can be considered specific in relation to the previous understanding, but has considerable specifics. In it the third understanding the special ideal type of communication which is carried out in the greatest possible discharge from social reality, traditions, authority, communicative routine, etc. both aiming critical discussion and justification of views and actions of participants of communication is called as "discourse". From the point of view of the second understanding, it is possible to call it "a rationality discourse", the word "discourse" here obviously sends to the fundamental text of scientific rationalism - to the Reasoning on R.Descartes's method (in the original - "Discours de la méthode" that at desire it is possible to translate and as 'a method discourse'). [14;96]

The discourse in our work is understood at the same time as two components: and dynamic process of the language activity entered in its social context, and its result (i.e. the text).

When we study discourse, as any natural phenomenon there is one question: what types and versions of discourse exist. The most important differentiation in this area - opposition of oral and written discourse. This differentiation is connected with the information transfer channel: at an oral discourse the channel - acoustic, at written - visual. [12;114]

Besides two fundamental versions of a discourse - oral and written - it is necessary to mention one more: the mental. Human can use language, without making neither acoustic, nor graphic traces of language activity. In this case language also is used communicatively, but the same person is both speaking, and the addressee. Owing to lack of easily observed manifestations the mental discourse is investigated much less, than oral and written. One of the most known researches of a mental discourse, or, in traditional terminology, internal speech belongs to L.S.Vygotsky. [13;84]

More private distinctions between versions of a discourse are described by means of concept of a genre. This concept was originally used in literary criticism for distinction of such types of literary works as, for example, the short story, the essay, the story, the novel, etc. M.M.Bakhtin and some other researchers offered broader understanding of the term "genre" extending not only on literary, but also on other speech works. Nowadays, the concept the of a genre is used in the discourse’s analysis rather widely. Exhaustive classification of genres doesn't exist, but as examples it is possible to call household dialogue (conversation), the story, the instruction on use of the device, interview, the reporting, the report, political performance, the sermon, the poem, the novel. Genres possess some rather steady characteristics. For example, the story, first, has to have standard composition (an outset, the culmination, an outcome) and, secondly, possesses some language features: the story contains a framework from the events ordered in time which are described by the same grammatical forms (for example, verbs in past tense) and between which there are binding elements (like the union then). [13;85]

M. Hellidey characterizes a discourse through the parameters "participants", "subject", "way" (tenor, field, mode) [11;62]. The subject of a discourse is understood as the sphere of social interaction in which participants operate with language as the main instrument of cooperation. Participants of a discourse are considered in a compartment with all status and role tasks, socially significant relations in which they are involved. The way of a discourse is actually the function which is carried out through the use of language for achievement of these or those purposes, the formal and substantial organization of the text, the channel of its representation (written or oral), its communicative purpose (motivation, belief, an explanation). [11;63]

Types of discourses most often meeting in modern linguistic works: pedagogical, political, critical, military, religious, economic, scientific, educational, advertizing and others. As any area of human activity can be object and a subject of a discourse, the classification list has open character.

Economical discourse – the type of discourse, during which expansion of speech process on the basis of certain economic ideas (for example, Bankruptcy, Fraud, Taxes) is carried out. [15;70] Substantial aspects of an economic discourse are satirized by such basic concepts as "goods", "money", "profit", "market", "investment", "economy", "and economic activity". [1;14]

Being the phenomenon complex, the economic discourse can be subdivided into types on a certain sign:

1. Discourse in the insurance sphere, the bank sphere (on an institutional sign);

2. Discourse of the inhabitant in conversation on an economic subject and the head of firm (on the basis of opposition a personal-institutional discourse)

3. Discourse of newspaper article on an economic subject, theses on economy, the scientific article (on a genre sign) [12;23]

In our work, the economical discourse is presented, first of all texts of mass communication. This type of texts belongs to journalese style and is the layer of an economic discourse gravitating to its kernel [15;94].

Using discourse model offered by M.A.Khellidey, we will give the analysis to the economic text relating to journalese style.

Obama tells banks 'work together’ Barack Obama has met tops US bankers to discuss his latest plans to stabilize the US financial system and boost the US economy. Obama called the bosses of the biggest US banks to the White House and told them: "We are in this together. » president said that his message to the bankers was "show some restraint." The boss of Goldman Sachs said after the meeting "the problems will be solved" and "we are at the beginning, the hard works starts now." He said the money spent on stimulating the economy would be money well spent. Obama said that he had asked the bankers to "show some restraint. Show that you get that this is a crisis and everybody has to make sacrifices. Agreed and they recognized it," he said. "Now, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. » Meeting was a bridge-building exercise by the Obama administration after coming under fire last week for allowing huge bonuses to be paid to AIG executives. Are three measures needed to turn the economy around, said Lloyd Blank Fein, chief executive of Goldman Sachs: "Stimulating the economy, arresting the fall in asset prices and fixing the financial system?" All three were now in place, he added.

"The capital markets are recovering and the stimulus is just starting to get into people's pockets," said Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JP Morgan Chase. Davis, chief executive of Bancorp, was equally upbeat following the meeting. He said he could see the "beginning of a turn in the economy, we can start to see a bottom.» Also said the 13 bankers present at the meeting understood the public's anger at bonuses paid to executives of banks that have received government aid., he said that the money Bancorp took from the government "was a good investment, it was not a bail-out." Government is getting a good rate of interest and it will get its money back, he said. [Obama]

Analysis of this economic text on M. Hellidey

Field: is an economic article taken from newspaper and the text connects with discussion the problem which arises in US economy in period of economic crisis, at the meeting of the US president, Barack Obama, and bankers.: President Barack Obama and bosses of the biggest US banks.: Written. The communicative purpose is explanation, because the text explains and gives information about the meeting between Barack Obama and top US bankers and about measures which they will accept to stabilize the US financial system and boost the US economy.

.Referring to Hellidey's model, it is possible to tell that participants of an economic discourse - the people competent of a circle of discussed problems which purpose is consideration of any professional task. Participants of an economic discourse it is the scientists who are engaged in research of economy, businessmen, heads of the enterprises, students of economic specialties of higher education institutions, the people who are interested in economic reports, news, etc. [15;96]

To define coverage of the economic discourse, all wide range of problems considered within an economic discourse, it is necessary to find out that is the concept "economy". And for this purpose we will consider some definitions concerning concepts of "economy" "economics".

So educational dictionary of modern English under A.S.Khornbi's edition gives the following definitions:

Economics - science of the production, distribution and using up of goods; condition of a countrys material prosperity.- 1. Avoidance of waste of money, strength or anything else of value. 2. Control and management of the money, goods and other resources of a community, society or household. 3. System for the management and use of economic resources. [A.S.Hornbi Educational Dictionary of modern English language]

In «Cosmo Concise English Dictionary» we can see another meanings: the science which deals with the rules governing the production, distribution and consumption of the worlds recourses and the management of state income and expenditure in terms of money.management of a household and its affairs; wise expenditure of money; careful use of materials; harmonious organization. [Cosmo Concise English Dictionary] From these definitions follows that economic texts cover extensive subject. The economy penetrates all aspects of life of the modern person and therefore in an economic discourse includes texts which can correspond the social and economic economical legal to discourses, texts of business correspondence, documents, presentations, and journalese articles on economic subjects. [15;97] The economy is not only the science, is also special sphere of public life, which to go beyond scientific knowledge. The economy includes various other sciences and different areas of human activity: management, mathematics, social sciences, history, geography, etc. All pressing modern problems: inflation, unemployment, military expenses, the budgetary deficiencies, poverty and inequality, environmental pollution, governmental regulation of business and so forth - trace the roots back to a problem of effective use of resources and consequently they can also be carried to economic problems [7;41]

It is possible to draw a conclusion that the economy is a sphere dealing with studying of production, distribution and consumption of goods. The main adjacent concepts of a concept of "economy" considered by us are "money, goods, production".

On the basis of existence of an economic discourse we note need of allocation of the special theory of translation of economic texts, emphasizing that the translation of texts of this type has the specifics and the features of translation.

Date: 2014-12-21; view: 3694