Lesson 1.

Literary Discourse
Poetic Discourse
● commonly found in creative works like poems, novels, short stories, and plays
● focuses on how language is used to form themes and convey ideologies
● Meanings conveyed are implied and not explicit.
Example of Poetic Discourse
The Road Not Taken (An Excerpt)
By Robert Frost
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Expressive Discourse
● commonly found in journals, letters, diaries, and blogs
● a personal narrative and is typically written in the first-person point of view
● also sometimes referred to as creative nonfiction
Example of Expressive Discourse
The Diary of a Young Girl (An Excerpt)
By Anne Frank
Sunday, 21 June 1942
Everyone at school is waiting to hear what happens next. Who will move up a class, and who
will stay down? We’re all trying to guess! I think my girlfriends and I will be OK, though we’ll
have to wait patiently to find out. Most of my teachers like me, but old Mr Keesing gets angry
with me because I often talk too much! He made me do some extra homework and write
about ‘Someone Who Talks Too Much.’
Transactional Discourse
● commonly found in instructional materials, advertisements, and editorials
● directive in nature as it provides detailed information on how something is done or
achieved
● encourages the reader to do something or to take action
● does not often use literary devices
Example of Transactional Discourse
How to Cook Chicken Tinola
Ingredients:
1/2 kg chicken wings
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 small ginger, peeled and julienned
1 small green papaya, peeled and cut into wedges
1–2 stalks of malunggay
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
3–4 cups of water
Procedure:
1. Prepare all the ingredients.
2. Heat the pan on a medium flame. Add 2–3 tablespoons of oil.
3. Sauté garlic, onion, and ginger. Add chicken wings and sauté for 3–4 minutes.
4. Pour 3–4 cups of water. Let it simmer.
5. Add the papaya. Simmer until the chicken becomes tender.
6. Add the malunggay leaves.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve and enjoy.

KEYPOINTS:
● Literary discourse may be classified into three different types, namely poetic discourse,
expressive discourse, and transactional discourse.
● In poetic discourse, language is used creatively to convey themes and ideologies.
● Expressive discourse allows a writer to communicate his or her personal points of view.
● Transactional discourse allows a writer to interact with readers and ask them to take
action.
 Types of literary
Purpose of literary discourse Examples
discourse

Poetic devices are incorporated (such as

rhyme, rhythm, and style) to emphasize the Poetry
Poetic discourse
speaker's expression of feelings or description of Prose
events and places.

Diaries
Literary writing that focuses on the non-fictional to Letters
Expressive
generate ideas and reflect the author's emotions,
discourse
usually without presenting any facts or arguments. Memoirs
Blog posts

Advertising
Instruction manuals
An instructional approach that encourages action
Transactional Guidelines
by presenting a clear, non-ambiguous plan to the
discourse
reader and is usually written in an active voice. Privacy policies
Business
correspondence
Lesson 1.4

Academic Discourse
● expository or argumentative in nature
● sometimes presents an individual’s insights regarding a concept or method in a scholarly
way
● includes academic journals and essays

General Format of Academic Discourse

● Introduction – states the significance of the topic and the issues that need to be addressed;
mentions the objectives of the discourse
● Body – discusses the methods of gathering information; presents the findings and
interpretation; contains arguments and supports them with evidence
● Conclusion – reiterates the writer’s claims and asserts his or her stand; may include insights
and recommendations for further studies

KEYPOINTS:
● Expository and argumentative writing are usual types of academic discourse; they present
ideas and concepts in a formal and scholarly way.
● Literary discourse is distinct from academic discourse in terms of language, tone, and point
of view.
● An academic discourse has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

Values Integration
How do you think knowing how to write using an academic discourse can help you even
outside the academe?
Academic Discourse Literary Discourse

formal and scholarly use of language; poetic and creative in its use of language
does not use figures of speech and idioms

maintains an objective tone using the features more than one point of view
third-person point of view