Discourse Analysis And Listening Comprehension Teaching

Traditional approach of listening comprehension teaching only stays at sentence level, so it is of less value to improve the students'listening ability. To compensate for this deficiency, another teaching approach, i.e. discourse-oriented approach, was introduced into the classroom.Although discourse analysis is a comparatively new field and there are still considerable gaps in our knowledge about it, the research into discourse analysis has seen a considerable growth in language teaching circles. Some theories in discourse analysis are very important in enhancing the students'listening comprehension ability and improving their communicative competence.Cohesion and coherence are the two kernels in discourse analysis. Both of them serve either as ways of thinking or as adequate approaches to textual composition. They are the ultimate goals of discourse interpretation. Cohesion can be realized through semantic and grammatical ways. While the conditions for coherence are not as simple as those for cohesion. In addition to the internal factors, like cohesive devices, there are some external conditions for coherence, such as background knowledge, discourse relevance.Schema theory and relevance theory lay important theoretical foundations for coherence interpretation. They are mutually dependent and mutually supportive. Schema theory can account for the functions of background knowledge, but it cannot explain the successful interpretation of all cases. Relevant theory aims at explaining discourse relevance from the perspective of cognitive science, and hence disclosing psychological devices of discourse interpretation.After examining the above-mentioned important theories and analyzing the factors influencing listening comprehension, the author puts forward a few corresponding ways and strategies in order to facilitate listening comprehension. For example, integrate...