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Non-Narrative Discourse Analysis

Gain an awareness of potential mismatches in the way the features are handled in the source and receptor languages

Why study this course?
Content
Dates and fees

This self-paced distance learning course is designed particularly for those who:

expect to be involved in the translation of hortatory and expository texts from one language to another, whether as a Mother Tongue speaker, Other Tongue speaker or expatriate translator, consultant or advisor
are engaged in the study of non-narrative texts in a language spoken anywhere in the world.

The course is taught in partnership with Wycliffe Bible Translators UK and SIL International. It can be part of required training to qualify you to take an intermediate or advanced level assignment with SIL.

The author & tutor of this course, as an international linguistic and translation consultant with SIL International, can call on many years of experience in this field both from his own research and his leading of ‘Discourse for Translation’ workshops around the world. Dr. Levinsohn has also authored a number of publications, including the textbook entitled 'Discourse Features of New Testament Greek'.

Normally, participants should expect to:

• have completed the Narrative Discourse Analysis course

• have relevant field experience or an equivalent.

• have access to a selection of non-narrative texts in the language of study that they are familiar with

• be able to gloss into English, French or Spanish.

On acceptance of your application, we will put you in touch with the tutor for the course and they will provide you with all the relevant course materials that are needed.

On successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a Redcliffe College LTL certificate.

Many problems in translation arise because of mismatches between the way the features are handled in the source and receptor languages.

Relevant factors include:

whether or not the language places the verb at the end of the sentence;
whether or not the subject commonly follows the verb;
characteristics peculiar to particular groups of languages or areas of the world.

Such potential mismatches are a major topic of discussion in the eight chapters of this course.

The course begins with an explanation of how to prepare and chart a non-narrative text for analysis. Subsequent chapters consider, amongst other things:

types of information found in non-narrative texts;
typical differences between instruction and persuasion;
connectives and the ordering of propositions;
variations in the order of constituents;
devices used to give prominence to constituents;
backgrounding and highlighting devices in non-narrative,;
boundary features.

Each topic is illustrated from texts in languages representative of the different types mentioned above.

Course Dates

This is a distance learning course that can be taken at any time during the year and at the student's own pace, subject to the tutor's availability. Please complete the short course application form to apply.