A discourse is an instance of language use whose type can be classified on the basis of such factors as grammatical and lexical choices and their distribution in

• main versus supportive materials
• theme
• style, and
• the framework of knowledge and expectations within which the addressee interprets the discourse.

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library. Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003.

Glossary Hierarchy