DISCOURSE STRUCTURE

To this point, we have investigated words, phrases, clauses, sentences, and paragraphs.  Now we step back a little further to investigate the structure of the discourse in which we are interested.  What is the order of the paragraphs?  Why does the second paragraph in the section of study follow the first?  What is the purpose of the next paragraph?  Is the author presenting a historical event in which he chronicles successive happenings?  Is he arguing logically, so that each paragraph builds his argument in a step-by-step fashion?  Has he stated his point in the first paragraph?  Does each successive paragraph support his point?  Or, does he build his argument with each successive paragraph, leading to a final conclusion?  What is the structure of the discourse?  Why is it so structured?

Each section will require analysis to discern the writer's flow of thought.  In poetry, of course, the individual poem constitutes the unit for analysis-some shorter, others longer.  Wisdom literature requires more care, for the units may be more difficult to classify.  A segment may consist of one proverb, an isolated psalm (e.g., Psa 37), a speech (e.g., Job 23:1-24:25), an entire book, or our Lord's Sermon on the Mount.  Apocalyptic is the most troublesome; it puts modern readers in the most unfamiliar territory.  But the dream of Dan 7:1-14 is one unit; its interpretation in 7:15-28 is another that joins the two.  [Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, Wm. Klein, Craig Blomberg, & Robt. Hubbard (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1993), p. 206.] 

 

Determine paragraph divisions

As mentioned in our previous section, modern English translations of the Bible may be easily obtained which are already divided into paragraphs.  One should review as many different paragraphed English translations as possible to gain some idea of agreement between scholars regarding paragraph division.  Then, the student should exercise caution in the settling of his understanding on which example of division (or combination of examples) to follow in his study.  One must see the flow or progression intended by the author.  Paragraph divisions should clearly indicate that flow.

 

Determine paragraph meanings

Look at all the paragraphs in the section you are studying.  What is the meaning of each paragraph?  Can you give a one sentence summation of each paragraph's  meaning?  Write down each one sentence summation, clearly and precisely.

 

 

Determine paragraph order

Why is each paragraph in this section?  What does it add?  What does it clarify?  What would you miss if the paragraph were not present?  What does each paragraph contribute to the meaning of the whole section?  How do they "add up"?  You should be able to add up your one sentence summations of the paragraphs and see the flow intended.

Does the author make a point, then support that point with paragraphs of argument or evidence?  Does the author build his point moving from the simple to the complex, ending with a climactic conclusion?  Is he merely giving a chronology of events or acts arranged along a timeline?  Why is he giving this chronology of events?

 

Determine overall structure (big picture)

How does the writer make each group of paragraphs work together?  Most modern English translations will not only divide the text into paragraphs, but will also group sections of paragraphs together under explanatory section headings.  If done well, these section headings will help you to outline the whole passage, whole chapters, or even whole books of the Bible.  At this point, you should begin to see "the big picture."  Can you state this "big picture" in your own words?  [When you begin to see the larger structure of the passages being studied, you will see that the "chapter" divisions of the text (common in most all Bibles in all languages) may not necessarily be the best and most appropriate divisions.  Chapter and verse divisions sometime serve only as location markers for common identification.]

Peter Cotterell and Max Turner offer a good overview of analyzing a narrative passage:

There is, in simplistic terms, a beginning, a middle, and an end.

However, these three terms demand further explication.  We may tentatively identify and label six rather typical elements which appear in narrative discourse, recognizing that the prominence and significance of any one element will depend on the particular discourse:

1.  Title.  A formula which introduces or identifies [the topic, the conversation, the epistle]. . . .

2.  Stage.  There is a need to identify the problem, the conflict, the question.  This is effected by staging it: presenting it in some suitable form.  It may be stated propositionally [Romans 3:1] . . . or in dramatic form [Job's prologue]. . . .

3.  Pre-peak episodes.  Only rarely does discourse move directly from the staging of the issue to its resolution.  An intermediate text is used further to explicate the issue . . . [or] to delay the peak and so to increase the tension.

4.  Peak, [the climactic point of the passage or literary work] possibly followed by an explanatory or confirmatory post-peak.

5.  Post-peak episodes.  Usually brief, and non-controversial, merely to move the participants on to where they are next needed or to tie up loose ends.

6.  Closure.  [This will either close the section of discourse or the full body of the text.  If it closes the section, there may be a transition leading to the thoughts in the next section.]  [from Linguistics and Biblical Interpretation, Peter Cotterell and Max Turner (Downers Grove, Il.: InterVarsity Press, 1989), p. 247-48.]

 

__________________

 

By way of review, we opened this study with a brief introduction.  Then, we looked at two major sections: Historical-Cultural and Contextual Analysis; and, Lexical-Syntactical Analysis.  Within this second section, we have offered six steps:

1.  Identify the general literary form.

2.  What is the author's theme throughout the book (or section of scripture being studied)?

3.  Consider the divisions (paragraphs and sentences) of the text.

4.  Determine the words used to connect paragraphs, sentences, or clauses within sentences.  How do these indicate the author's development of his message?

5.  Investigate the meaning of the individual words.

6.  Analyze the syntax to determine the structure and flow of the author's or speaker's thought(s) within the passage.

 

Now, we are concluding our section on Lexical-Syntactical Analysis with this last step.

____________________________

 

7.  Put the results of your analysis into easily understood words that clearly convey the author's intended meaning.  Don't lose sight of the purpose of this analysis--to communicate the author's meaning as clearly as possible.  Now is the time to summarize the picture gathered into your mind and heart.

a)  What did you learn from determining the general literary form?  Is this poetry?  Should one expect hyperbole, metaphor, or other "poetic" language not to be taken at full "literal" value?  Or, is the text historical and intended to convey true historical information?

b)  What is the theme?  How has the author conveyed or maintained his theme?

c)  Go back to your rough outline and add flesh to it.  What have you learned from  considering the paragraphs, the sentences, the words?  Outline the passage point by point, ensuring that each of you major points is related to the author's theme.  Each subdivision under each point should support the major point.  What is the author's flow of argument or presentation?

d)  How does this passage fit into the overall view of the book being studied?  How does it fit into the full biblical framework?  How does your understanding of the passage add to, or otherwise color, your personal understanding of the general subject or of the Bible?

The form which you choose for this analysis is yours.  Whether you want to leave it in outline form or make it into an essay with paragraphs is your decision.  Communicate to yourself and gather together what you have discovered through this section of study. 

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by South Woods Baptist Church.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy:

Copyright South Woods Baptist Church. Website: www.southwoodsbc.org. Used by permission as granted on web site. Questions, comments, and suggestions about our site can be sent here.