International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

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Metadiscourse is talk about talk. The common term →  discourse refers to the pragmatic use of language (including nonverbal signs such as →  paralanguage and →  gestures in discourse ) in extended texts or episodes of communication. Meta- discourse refers to the pragmatic use of language to comment reflexively on discourse itself. The prefix “meta” (from a Greek word meaning with, across, or after) here denotes a shift to a higher-order frame of reference. Metadiscourse shifts the focus of attention from ongoing communication, putting some stretch of discourse in a context or frame designed to influence the meaning and practical conduct of communication. The frame shift performed by metadiscourse is most often local and momentary, as when a speaker uses the word “ first ” to frame an immediate following point as the first in a series of points, or says “ I understand completely ” to mark another's statement as understood and accepted. Extended episodes of meta-talk also occur, for example, when a couple sits down to talk over a problem in how they have been talking with each other. Discourse about discourse-in-general is also metadiscourse. People trading stories about poorly run business meetings or writing newspaper columns about rules of etiquette for the use of mobile phones in public are engaged in metadiscourse with a relatively broad scope. So are scholars writing academic ... log in or subscribe to read full text