A Study On College English Teachers' Discourse Analysis Based On Appraisal Theory

Teachers' discourse serves as an essential medium for English classroom communication.Scholars have studied the quantity of teachers' discourse,concluding that in English classes,teachers' discourse generally accounts for 2/3 of the total talking time.This shows that teachers' discourse is the main driving force of classroom English teaching.Teachers' discourse is of crucial importance to art majors' English class.Teachers' discourse,which is based on Appraisal Theory,can enhance the interest of art majors in English classes,offering them teachers' guidance and management.Therefore,teachers' discourse can motivate the students to learn and promote students' positivity toward learning.Teachers' discourse is based on Appraisal Theory.It originated from the study of schools and workplaces.Professor Martin(2000),the founder of Appraisal Theory,explains the theory as the sum of the attitude in articles,the intensity of emotions and the depth of contents.So far,the public have applied Appraisal Theory to daily conversations and so on.It is of great value to the use of Appraisal Theory in college English class.Related research has confirmed that,art majors are weak in their learning abilities;their in-class performance and the initiation are not strong,generally showing a negative state in English class.In order to change this phenomenon and raise their interest in English learning,on the basis of previous studies and Appraisal Theory,this paper explores how teachers can play a positive role through teachers' discourse in improving English class activities in art colleges,which has a positive impact on pedagogical interaction and English learning.This study focuses on the following three questions:(1)What is teachers' discourse in college English classroom for art majors?(2)In what aspects will Appraisal Theory guide teachers' discourse in college English classroom for art majors?(3)What types of teachers' discourse will motivate art majors' college English learning?This study uses the sample of 70 art major participants from Shenyang Normal University,with their questionnaire surveys,the classroom observation method and interview method.The students' English learning and teachers' classroom discourse are studied on a one-semester basis.Finally the conclusions are:(1)Teachers' discourse occupies a significant proportion of art majors' college English classes and has the greatest influence on guiding students and instructing students.Teachers' discourse is authoritative and instructive and plays a decisive role in managing classes and teaching knowledge.Art majors are full of expectation to teachers' discourse because they have a weak foundation and lack self-restraint in class.Therefore,they need teachers to urge them to learn English.(2)Attitude system is the core of Appraisal Theory,and it is divided into effect,appreciation and judgment subsystems.Through the analysis of teachers' discourse,the author finds that each subsystem plays an important role in English class.Among them,the appreciation subsystem and the affection subsystem are the important theoretical basis of the teachers' discourse,which is of great value to the teachers' emotional communication and the guidance of teachers' discourse.(3)Teachers' discourse is divided into greetings,instruction,questioning,and feedback.Feedback is the most helpful for art majors' classroom learning.Art majors are full of satisfaction and pleasure after they receive positive feedback from the teacher,which helps to promote positive answering questions in class..Art majors' college English learning cannot be separated from the guidance of teachers.And teachers' discourse is the main communication channel connecting students and teachers.The quantity and quality of teachers' discourse are key to the success of English classes.The research shows that positive teachers' discourse is of great help to improve the activity and creativity of English class and has a profound effect on the healthy shift of art majors' learning attitude and classroom performance.