Woods Nicola. Describing Discourse: A Practical Guide to Discourse Analysis

New York: Routledge, 2006. — xviii + 204 p. — ISBN13: 978-0340809617.The book introduces students to specific discourses constructed for particular purposes, for example, from the domains of advertising, law, medicine and education. Each chapter provides examples, exercises and commentary designed to develop the analytical abilities needed in describing the characteristic forms and typical functions of different discourses. At the end of each chapter relevant theoretical approaches (including conversation analysis, enthnology, relevance theory and audience-design) are introduced in relation to the data just analysed.
In this way, this handbook provides a good entry into the study of discourse for students new to the subject.