THE ANALYSIS OF THE DISCOURSE LAYERS: THE CASE OF THE ROTTEN FENCE

This paper aimed to scrutinize discourse layers in a written narrative. The narrative selected for the sake of discourse layers analysis was The Rotten Fence by PL, which was randomly selected from the database in Hatch and Hawkins (1991). Having been selected, the narrative was analyzed through the use of the proposed methods for classification of discourse layers including Mann and Thompson’s (1989) rhetorical structure theory, Schank and Abelson’s (1977) script theory, Labov’s (1972) evaluation components, Tannen’s (1985) and Chafe’s (1982) involvement features, Schegloff and Sack’s (1973) conversational analysis, Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) cohesive devices, Goffman’s (1976) universal system components as well as Labov and Waletzky’s (1967) narrative structure components. In this analysis, the discourse was investigated by the application of such categories as linguistic and cognitive processes, social, linguistic, and cognitive processes, and linguistic and cognitive templates, respectively. The findings of the study revealed that in this discourse as well as many other discourses there are multilayers of discourse features superficially not evident. The findings also proved that some elements are absent in some discourses while some are clear and more colorful. Looking at the narrative analyzed, it would undoubtedly be apparent that language is a structured social, cognitive, and linguistic enterprise by the application of layered analysis.