The ability of discourse type recognition at the university level

Abstract EN

This paper attempts to explore the obstacles the students may encounter in recognizing different types of discourse and the consequences these obstacles may have on discourse processing (comprehension).

A summary of different types of discourse would be far beyond the theoretical limits of this short study , besides, the number of discourse types is so large and diverse that it needs a whole series of studies to realize every possible type of discourse.

So, adopting a specific system of discourse classification is a must in terms of the scope of the current paper.

For a system to be feasible, it should involve discourse characteristics that can be related to types of discourse.

The classificatory model adopted in this study is based on Cook’s definition and classification of discourse types since it serves the aim of the study.

In order to achieve the aim of the study a test is carried out to (50) students in the Department of English/ College of Education/ University of Al- Qadissiyah.

After analyzing the results of the test, it was evident that students did face difficulty in recognizing the discourse types they were supposed to identify, and this led to a significant indication of misunderstanding and incomprehension of the situation and the physical form of the discourse type they are faced with.