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discourse analysis

in linguistics, the study of structures that extend beyond the single sentence, such as conversations, narratives, or written arguments. Discourse analysis is particularly concerned with the ways in which a sequence of two or more sentences can produce meanings that are different from or additional to any found in the sentences considered separately. An important source of such meanings is the “frame” or format of the discourse (news item, fairytale, joke, etc.) and a recognition of the various norms that this implies. The norms and expectations that govern conversation are a major concern of discourse analysis, as is the structure of conversational language generally. Particular areas of interest here include the distinction between background and foreground information (see foregrounding; given–new distinction) and the relations between explicit and inferred meanings (see conversational inference; implicature; presupposition).

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

Down syndrome

Down syndrome

a chromosomal disorder characterized by an extra chromosome 21 and manifested by a round flat face and eyes that seem to slant (the disorder was formerly known as mongolism). Brain size and weight are below average; affected individuals usually have mild to severe intellectual disability and have been characterized as having docile, agreeable dispositions. Muscular movements tend to be slow, clumsy, and uncoordinated. In many cases, growth is stunted, the tongue is thick, and the fingers are stubby. Affected individuals may have heart defects and respiratory insufficiencies or anomalies that are often corrected during infancy by surgery. However, lifespan is reduced compared with that in the general population, and affected individuals typically show early onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Down syndrome is one of the most common physiological causes of intellectual disability. Also called Langdon Down’s disease; trisomy 21. See also autosomal trisomy of group G. [described in 1866 by John Langdon Haydon Down (1828–1896), British physician]