WHAT ARE DISCURSIVE RESOURCES? - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The discursive resources are tools that allow organized preparation of a written or oral message, in order to have a unique style and is consistent. On the other hand, these elements are incorporated into the speech so that the receiver understands it better and generates the desired communicative impact. Among the most important discursive resources are definition, analogy, quotations, cumulative enumeration, exemplification, and interrogation.

Discursive resources maintain a fixed form of expression, this makes both the speaker and the listener identify what is being communicated and the context in which it is done. A clear example is the difference between a letter and a recipe; the structure, language and content change due to what you want to convey.

Discursive resources are important for the argumentation of any idea. Source: pixabay.com.

Now, discursive resources can be classified according to the reasoning used to carry out the messages. This means that the content, the form, the intention, the way in which reality is conceived and the structure of what is explained within the spoken text or speech are taken into account.

Characteristics of discursive resources

Discursive resources must meet certain characteristics so that the sender's message can reach the receiver in a good way. The following are the necessary elements of this type of communication tools:

- The theme: this element refers to the content that is developed.

- The structure: is related to the way the message is organized.

- The style: this characteristic is linked to the personality of the sender and the language tools used so that the message reaches its destination.

- The function: it is linked to the objective of the message, that is, what the sender wants to produce in the receiver.

Types

Discursive resources seek the empathy of those who receive the message. The author of the texts or the subject who delivers the speech uses different tools to present their ideas, all depending on their mood, intentionality and subjectivity. The following are the most common speech types:

- Analogy

This type of discursive resource is used to compare some concepts that are part of the main idea in the sender's message. In general, the analogy is applied to similar elements that have a certain complexity in order to make the receiver understand and process them.

Example

The news is an informative genre of journalism. Its main function is to publicize a fact of common interest to the audience, which must fully comply with the qualities of precision and truthfulness. The truth in the news is like the credibility of a doctor in giving a diagnosis.

- Quotes

As discursive resources, quotes seek to strengthen or give strength to the content expressed by the issuer. Such strength is consolidated with arguments given by well-known people and experts, who have developed work or research on the subject at hand.

Example

The news must comply with certain elements to achieve precision, it must have a what, a how, a when, a where and a why or for what. Regarding the above, Mar de Fontcuberta expressed: " Questions are used in journalism to organize information from the most relevant to the least important."

Definition

This is one of the most important discursive resources, since it allows us to delve into the qualities of the object, person or substance that is being talked about in order to better present the idea.

This resource usually uses data obtained through observation or information that other researchers and specialists obtained on a specific topic. With this, the definition gives a great contribution to the argumentation of any speech and makes it easier to understand.

Example

The theater is a very complete art, it combines music, acting, painting, dance, to name a few manifestations. Not in vain over the years they have defined it as "the art that combines all the arts."

- Exemplification

Exemplification is used to simplify or make it easier to understand a topic or concept. It is also one of the most used resources, especially when it comes to literary analysis.

This tool allows you to make a concept or idea easier by showing everyday events.

Example

The prolonged absence of water and the extreme exposure to the sun, hinder the growth of vegetation and the development of life. Deserts are a clear example of this.

- News

The news is the broadcast of an event or novel event and is of interest to the majority of the public. In other words, the news is current information that arouses the curiosity of society, usually it is transmitted through the media.

Example

Below is an example of a news item showing the use of the fundamental questions (the so-called “5 Wh”):

Every good idea must be supported by the use of discursive resources. Source: pixabay.com.

“The Criminal and Criminal Scientific Investigations Corps dismantled the criminal gang Los Chapos at dawn on Wednesday, October 23 of this year, through a special night operation. The chapos kept the residents of the community of El Rosario, south of the city of Puerto la Cruz in Anzoátegui state, whipped. The operation was carried out thanks to the constant complaints of the inhabitants of the area ”.

The fundamental questions (also called "5 Wh")

- Who ?: Corps of Criminal and Criminal Investigations.

- What ?: dismantled the criminal gang "Los chapos".

- When ?: the early morning of Wednesday, October 23, 2019.

- Where ?: in El Rosario, Puerto la Cruz, Anzoátegui state.

- How ?: through a special night operation.

- Interrogation

The interrogation is used as a discursive resource to question and debate the topic to which the speaker refers. The aim is to make the receiver arouse more interest and enthusiasm in the exposed content. The questions that are asked may or may not be answered by the speaker.

Example

Although the news should be developed by a journalism professional and transmitted through a communication medium, it is worth asking yourself: with the advancement of technology and social networks, has the news left its field of action? or can anyone practice journalism?

- Speech analysis

This discursive resource is associated with the form, style, function, intention, rhetoric, language and the depth with which the sender structures the message.

Example

To continue with the subject of the news, if it is exposed to a child audience, it is necessary for the sender to organize the content in a practical, simple, dynamic and attractive way for the receiver. The speech can be complemented by a game in which a news program is improvised and the children act as reporters.

- Extension

The extension intervenes as a discursive resource to bring other points of view to the message and extend the arguments given by the issuer. With this tool, the curiosity and interest of the recipient is pursued, at the same time the validity of the subject is maintained with constant research.

Example

The news is part of a unilateral communication system, this means that the sender or journalist does not receive an immediate response from the receiver, this is because the transmission channel is a mass media.

To learn more about this aspect, you are invited to read and investigate the different communication theories, especially those developed by the communicator Antonio Pascuali.

- Cumulative enumeration

Enumeration serves to intensify an argument. If used cumulatively, the speech gains momentum and it becomes easier to "convince" or reach a reader or audience. For example, when exemplifications are listed to prove a point.

References

1. 30 examples of discursive resources. (2019). Colombia: Examples. Recovered from: examples.co.
2. Roldán, M. and Godoy, S. (S. f.). Discursive and prosodic resources, what are they and what are their types. (N / a): Self-Help Resources. Recovered from: Recursosdeautoayuda.com.
3. Discursive genres. (1997-2019). Spain: Cervantes Virtual Center. Recovered from: cvc.cervantes.es.
4. Discursive genre. (2019). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
5. Uriarte, J. (2019). Discursive genres. Colombia: Characteristics. Recovered from: caracteristicas.co.