On The Functions Of Schemata In Discourse Understanding

Understanding discourse mentioned in this paper consists of two aspects: readingcomprehension and understanding utterance. Chapterâ…¡and Chapter â…¢study the selectiveand generative functions of schemata theory in reading comprehension, Chapter â…£studiesthe interpretive functions of schemata theory in utterance understanding.The selective functions of schemata refer to the process in which every reader willconstruct different schemata based on their own knowledge and background while readingdifferent types of texts, and then select the most appropriate one from a series of assumptionschemata. According to Schemata Theory, reading comprehension ability depends on threetypes of schemata: language schemata, content schemata and form schemata.Schema generalization refers to the cognitive process in which readers derive severalconcrete subschemata by decomposing abstract ideas and meanings and then integrate them inthe mental spaces in order to get the understanding of the text. This part studies schemageneralization in three perspectives: information retrieval and schemata mapping, theactivation and spread of schemata and the integration of schemata.Sometimes, it is quite clear what the speaker intends to say, but less clear what he intendsto imply; Sometimes, it is quite clear what the speaker intends to say or imply, but less clearwhat his attitude is to what he has said or implied. In these cases, the hearer has to cost moreprocessing efforts and make inferences so as to understand the speaker's utterance. Thefunctions of schema interpretation can help interlocutors minimize processing efforts andoptimize relevance of interpretation in the course of communication. The interpretivefunctions of schemata in understanding utterance include three aspects: prediction,enrichment and bridging.From cognitive perspective, this paper attempts to discuss the functions of schemata inorder to promote language teaching and study.