Essay Sample on Dialogue and Discourse

Introduction

There are four types of conversations. There is the debate, discourse, dialogue, and diatribe. Debate and discourse are most commonly used in literature. These types of conversations are labeled and categorized as so because of the direction and tone (Angel 2016). Discourse refers to a cooperative conversation directed in one way whereas dialogue is a cooperative and contributive conversation whereby there is the exchange of information and a buildup of a relationship (Coulthard 1985). Dialogical Analysis is the exchange of spoken or written ideas between the people who are interacting in that there are reciprocity and communication. Discourse analysis, on the other hand, is a modern discipline that covers the effect of the society and the environment on language. The analysis of dialogue and discourse within literary texts is integral to the fundamental understanding of the themes and stylistic devices that have been used in the text. This paper looks at dialogue and discourses in detail, analyzes the use of dialogue and discourse within specific literary texts, how these factors influence styles and themes and also offers a compare and contrast approach of the similarities and differences between dialogue and discourse.

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As aforementioned, the dialogue is a two-way conversation whereas discourse is a one-way conversation. In order to effectively analyze dialogue, it is important to note that the circumstance of the dialogue and the occasion of the talk need to be established. The immediate culture of the participants, the language and organizational context are important is establishing the theme and the context of the conversation (Bowles 2011). When such factors are established, it is easier to know the stylistic devices that can be employed. For instance; when childhood friends meet and catch up, there is a lot of nostalgia in the air. Therefore, one can easily predict that a lot of imagery will be used to paint accurate pictures of the past memories. Dialogue can be looked at in two ways; there is structured and egalitarian dialogue. Egalitarian dialogue entails the construction of relationships, the creation of meaning and new instrumental dimension from the conversation. Structured dialogue, on the other hand, represents a class of conversations that are oriented towards consensual actions or problem understanding. Dialogue is therefore based on trust, understanding, respect, openness, reciprocity and a problem-solving mindset hence the need for an established relationship between the interacting parties (Russman & Lane 2016). Conversations that give evidence of these features are regarded as dialogues. Dialogues are important in literary texts not only to break the monotony of narration but also to introduce stylistic features and to expound on the thematic concerns of the text. An analysis of dialogue in a text is important to reveal the character traits of the actors involved the relationship between characters, the target audience, themes and stylistic features.

Language is a system of thought. Often, there is meaning beyond the sentence (Grosz n. d.). There are social links to language hence discourse takes on the sociolinguistic approach. As mentioned before, discourse analysis looks at the impact of the society on language. To analyze discourse is to look at the conversation so as to establish why, how and what was said. To be able to analyze discourse the conversation has to be set in real life situations whether they are real or imagined. The method of discourse analysis that is employed on literary texts is called stylistics. This is a linguistic practice that studies and interprets texts. Stylistics is more concerned with literary themes because themes bring in the social aspect of a text (Troyer, 2008). The theme determines the setting, the background and the dialogue that is employed in the development of a text. In this particular case, the analysis of discourse shall be centered on the thematic exploration of the selected texts. It is important to note that the use of language is often tailored toward a particular response. The language used every day by an individual is used by many other people and also the importance of studying discourse is that it promotes critical consumption of information. The major part of this paper shall look into the use of dialogue and discourse in selected texts. The texts that have been selected are; Bridget Jones's Diary and the Kitchen God's Wife. Specific excerpts from these texts shall be analyzed with respect to dialogue and discourse in an attempt to highlight the use of these literary aspects, their importance, the themes and stylistic features used and also the differences that are portrayed between the two elements of conversation in focus.

Bridget Jones's Diary is a novel that is written in the form of a typical diary. The main character is 30 years old Bridget who makes her New Year resolutions to be working on her career, her weight and getting a new boyfriend (Fielding 1998). She also intends to quit smoking and drinking. She dives well into her career being a studious and industrious woman. She also falls for a man who is completely commitment phobic; that is her boss Daniel Cleaver. The relationship between Cleaver and Bridget is shaky at best. They happen to go out a couple of times but are not exclusive. Bridget's parents meet a rough patch in their marriage and get divorced with her mother running off with the younger Julio. Bridget has earlier on being introduced to Mark Darcy, whom she embarrasses herself in front of at a party which was a culinary disaster. Bridget ends her relationship with Cleaver at the appearance of another woman. She focusses on her life and career. Her mother gets into trouble with the police after Julio commits a crime. Mark helps her out. Even though he disappears for a while, he comes back, in the end, professing his undying love for Bridget while at the same time solving her mother's problem.

The Kitchen God's wife is presented in the narrative of Pearl Louie Brandt's voice and also in that of her mother, Winnie Louie's voice. Pearl has to take her daughters back home for an engagement party which shall be succeeded by a funeral. At the family home which she has not been to for a long while, Aunt Hellen insists that Pearl tell her mother about her multiple sclerosis or she will. Aunt Hellen also tells Winnie that she tells her daughter about her past even though it was painful and horrifying or she will. Hellen state that because she has a brain tumor, she would not want to die while there are still some secrets in the family. The second narration is told in Winnie's voice about her past. She was married to an abusive husband to whom she lost three children. She met and fell in love with an American-Chinese man whom Pearl had known was her father. The truth, however, was that Weng Fu, the abusive ex-husband of her mother was Pearl's real father and that Winnie felt secure in the news that Weng Fu had passed (Tan 1993). Winnie planned to escape her marriage but the plan was foiled by her husband and she opted for a time in prison. Afterward, she took the wealth that had been secretly bestowed on her by her father and left China for America. In America, she married her lover who had raised Pearl as his daughter but had sadly passed away. Also, Aunt Hellen is revealed not to be a biological aunt but Winnie's best friend with whom they had survived tough times. The three women in the story make arrangements for a trip back to China.

The importance of discourse and dialogue in the selected texts is made evident in that these aspects of conversation are responsible for propelling the story forward (Burton 2013). It is through the dialogue that Bridget has with herself by writing in her diary with regard to her feelings for her boss that the audience is made aware she shall be wearing a short skirt to work the next day. Therefore, by using the discourse of fashion and explaining to the audience what she will wear, the audience expects something to happen at work between Cleaver and Bridget. The dialogue and discourse in the literary texts help with a deeper understanding of the characters. It is easier to understand the family dynamics of the Louie family through the conversation that Pearl and her husband have with Winnie and their children. Pearl narratively talks about the environment of her former home where her mother lives. It is evident that the society has an impact on the language that she uses. She is able to quote the names and locations of shops and explain their relevance to her life and her current position. She is also able to give memories of herself in those areas and express her emotions in that particular context. It can be concluded that the themes being brought out by this particular discourse are; the difficulties of a bicultural life and also the preservation of culture. Pearl expresses that she does not feel at ease in her home environment because she is more used to the environment where she stays. It is within this discourse that it is made evident that the main character is struggling to keep up with all aspects of her culture. The dialogue between her husband and her mother reveals the collectivist nature of the Chinese who invest a lot more in a family and close relationships. It is therefore very easy for the audience to understand the reason why Winnie won't allow her daughter to stay in a hotel yet she has a big home.

The dialogue between Bridget and her friends hints towards the themes of love, friendship, feminism and family relationships (Jurisic 2014). From the beginning of the excerpt, it is made evident via the conversation that Bridget is much closer to her family. The dynamics of the family include looking out for the interests of each other by whatever means even if it means invading their privacy and embarrassing them. The dialogue in itself is a stylistic device in the literary text because it is used to create imagery and give the audience an accurate feel of what is happening. Through the conversations that Bridget has with her friends, the dynamics of love and relationships based on love are revealed. The dialogue allows for the use of allusion whereby the women compare their situations to those of other women, whose stories they are aware of and evaluate their relationships. There is the use of metaphors and similes. Bridget and Sharon try to encourage Alice to stay positive and value herself more than her relationship with Richard by telling her that men are from Mars whereas women are from Venus and that men like the Martian Rubber they are should be stretched out in order to come back. The discourse in this story reveals that the experiences that women go through influence their perception of men and relationships and also the advice that they give to others.

The functions of dialogue and discourse are similar in the manner that they are both used to contextualize a text by confining it within the thematic concerns that are to be covered. Dialogue and discourse can be used to identify the theme. The difference between the two aspects of conversation is that whereas dialogue is used to influence the use of literary devices and themes, discourse can only be used to influence themes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, dialogue and discourse are important parts of a conversation that are used in literary texts. Dialogue is two way and it entails the exchange of information between two people based on the established relationship whereas discourse is one way and it entails the release of information from one source to another. Dialogue is based on openness, trust, and collaboration. Dialogue, in literary texts, is used to point towards the theme while at the sam...