Discourse Syntax is the study of syntax that requires an understanding of the surrounding text and the overall discourse situation, including considerations of genre and modality. Using corpus data and insights from current research, this book is a comprehensive guide to this fast-developing field. It takes the reader ‘beyond the sentence’ to study grammatical phenomena, like word order variation, connectives, ellipsis, and complexity. It introduces core concepts of Discourse Syntax, integrating insights from corpus-based research and inviting the reader to reflect on research design decisions. Each chapter begins with a definition of learning outcomes, provides results from empirical articles, and enables readers to critically assess data visualization. Complete with helpful further reading recommendations as well as a range of exercises, it is geared towards intermediate to advanced students of English linguistics and it is also essential reading for anyone interested in this exciting, fast-moving discipline.
Praise for Discourse Syntax:
“an excellent resource for developing skills and understanding in providing discursive interpretations of syntactic configurations” (Pablo M. Tagarro, Folia Linguistica)
“We need more books like this to help students make the jump to independent research.” (James Donaldson, English Language and Linguistics)
“a unique follow-up on introductions to grammar. Both authors are experts in the field and their enthusiasm for the subject comes through clearly. ” (Elly van Gelderen)
“reader-friendly and highly practical” (Zihen Zhou, Discourse Studies)
Learn more about the book and order your examination copy at Cambridge University Press. Registered instructors can also request access to model answers to the exercises in the book.
Learn more about what it’s like to co-author a textbook at fifteeneightyfour, CUP’s academic blog.