Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of discourse, which views "language as a form of social practice" (Fairclough 1989: 20) and focuses on the ways social and political domination is reproduced by text and talk. Critical discourse analysis is founded on the idea that there is unequal access to linguistic and social resources, resources that are controlled institutionally. The patterns of access to discourse and communicative events is one essential element for CDA. Discourse is a term used in semantics as in discourse analysis, but it also refers to a social conception of discourse, often linked with the work of French philosopher Michel Foucault (1926-1984) and Jürgen Habermas The Theory of Communicative Action (1985). ...

Background

CDA developed within several disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, such as 'critical linguistics' (exemplified by the seminal book Language and Control by Roger Fowler, Günther Kress, Bob Hodge and Tony Trew, published in 1979). Bob Hodge (1955-), sometimes nicknamed Hodgie-San by fellow running enthusiasts, is an American distance runner originally from Lowell, MA who achieved some acclaim in the 1970s and 1980s. ...

Norman Fairclough's Language and Power (1989; 2001) and Critical Discourse Analysis (1995) articulate a three-dimensional framework for studying discourse, "where the aim is to map three separate forms of analysis onto one another: analysis of (spoken or written) language texts, analysis of discourse practice (processes of text production, distribution and consumption) and analysis of discursive events as instances of sociocultural practice" (1995: 2). Norman Fairclough (1941 -) is emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Lancaster University. ...

In addition to linguistic theory, the approach draws from social theory — and contributions from Karl Marx, Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Jürgen Habermas, Michel Foucault and Pierre Bourdieu — in order to examine ideologies and power relations involved in discourse. Fairclough notes "that language connects with the social through being the primary domain of ideology, and through being both a site of, and a stake in, struggles for power" (1989: 15). Van Dijk (1998) articulates ideology as the basis of the social representations of groups, and more generally advocates a sociocognitive interface between social structures and discourse structures. Ruth Wodak emphasizes the importance of a historical dimension in critical discourse studies, as she also has shown in her work on racism and antisemitism. For the journal, see Linguistics (journal). ... Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883) was a 19th century philosopher, political economist, and revolutionary. ... Antonio Gramsci (IPA: ) (January 22, 1891 – April 27, 1937) was an Italian writer, politician and political theorist. ... Louis Pierre Althusser (Pronunciation: altuË¡seʁ) (October 16, 1918 – October 22, 1990) was a Marxist philosopher. ... Jürgen Habermas (IPA: ; born June 18, 1929) is a German philosopher and sociologist in the tradition of critical theory and American pragmatism. ... Michel Foucault (pronounced ) (October 15, 1926 – June 25, 1984) was a French philosopher, historian and sociologist. ... Pierre Bourdieu (August 1, 1930 â€“ January 23, 2002) was an acclaimed French sociologist whose work employed methods drawn from a wide range of disciplines: from philosophy and literary theory to sociology and anthropology. ... Norman Fairclough (1941 -) is emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Lancaster University. ... Teun A Van Dijk, is a prominent pioneer of the field of text linguistics. ... Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism, also known as judeophobia) is prejudice and hostility toward Jews as a religious, racial, or ethnic group. ...

Methodology

Although CDA is sometimes mistaken to represent a 'method' of discourse analysis, it is generally agreed upon that any explicit method in discourse studies, the humanities and social sciences may be used in CDA research, as long as it is able to adequately and relevantly produce insights into the way discourse reproduces (or resists) social and political inequality, power abuse or domination. That is, CDA does not limit its analysis to specific structures of text or talk, but systematically relates these to structures of the sociopolitical context.

Notable academics

Notable writers include Norman Fairclough, Paul Chilton, Teun A. van Dijk, Ernesto Laclau, Theo Van Leeuwen, Siegfried Jäger, Christina Schäffner, James Paul Gee, Ruth Wodak, Roger Fowler, Gunther Kress, Mary Talbot, Lilie Chouliaraki and Robert Hodge. Norman Fairclough (1941 -) is emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Lancaster University. ... Teun A Van Dijk, is a prominent pioneer of the field of text linguistics. ... Ernesto Laclau is a political theorist often described as post-marxist. ... Theo Van Leeuwen is the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Technology, Sydney. ...

See also

• Discourse analysis
  • Queer Theory

Discourse analysis (DA), or discourse studies, is a general term for a number of approaches to analyzing written, spoken or signed language use. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ...

References

• Caldas-Coulthard, Carmen Rosa, and Coulthard, Malcolm, (editors) (1996) Texts and Practices: Readings in Critical Discourse Analysis, London: Routledge.
• Chouliaraki, Lilie & Norman Fairclough (1999). Discourse in Late Modernity: Rethinking Critical Discourse Analysis. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
• Norman Fairclough (1995). Critical Discourse Analysis. Harlow: Longman.
• Norman Fairclough (1995). Media Discourse. London: Edward Arnold.
• Norman Fairclough (2001). Language and Power (2nd edition). Harlow: Longman.
• Norman Fairclough (2003). Analysing Discourse: Textual Analysis for Social Research. London: Routledge.
• Jaworski, Adam, & Coupland, Nikolas (Eds.) (2002). The Discourse Reader. New York: Routledge.
• Lazar, Michelle (Ed.) (2005). Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis: Gender, Power and Ideology In Discourse. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
• Rogers, Rebecca (2003). A Critical Discourse Analysis of Family Literacy Practices: Power in and Out of Print. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Rogers, Rebecca (Ed.) (2003). An Introduction to Critical Discourse Analysis in Education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Talbot, Mary, Atkinson, Karen and Atkinson, David (2003). Language and Power in the Modern World. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
• Toolan, Michael (Ed.) (2002). Critical Discourse Analysis: Critical Concepts in Linguistics (Vol I: Precursors and Inspirations). London: Routledge.
• Toolan, Michael (Ed.) (2002). Critical Discourse Analysis: Critical Concepts in Linguistics (Vol II: Leading Advocates). London: Routledge.
• Toolan, Michael (Ed.) (2002). Critical Discourse Analysis: Critical Concepts in Linguistics (Vol III: Concurrent Analyses and Critiques). London: Routledge.
• Toolan, Michael (Ed.) (2002). Critical Discourse Analysis: Critical Concepts in Linguistics (Vol IV: Current Debates and New Directions). London: Routledge.
• Teun A. Van Dijk. (1993). Elite discourse and racism. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
• Teun A. Van Dijk. (1998). Ideology. London: Sage.
• Teun A. Van Dijk. (2005). Racism and discourse in Spain and Latin America. Amsterdam: Benjamins.
• Teun A. Van Dijk. (2008). Discourse and Power. Contributions to Critical Discourse Studies. Houndsmills: Palgrave.
• Weiss, Gilbert & Wodak, Ruth (Eds.) (2003). Critical Discourse Analysis: Theory and Interdisciplinarity in Critical Discourse Analysis. London: Palgrave.
• Wodak, Ruth & Meyer, Michael (Eds.) (2001). Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis. London: Sage.
• Young, Lynne & Harrison, Claire (Eds.) (2004). Systemic Functional Linguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis: Studies in Social Change. London: Continuum.

For critical debates on CDA see, for example: Norman Fairclough (1941 -) is emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Lancaster University. ... Norman Fairclough (1941 -) is emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Lancaster University. ... Norman Fairclough (1941 -) is emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Lancaster University. ... Norman Fairclough (1941 -) is emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Lancaster University. ... Norman Fairclough (1941 -) is emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Lancaster University. ... Teun A Van Dijk, is a prominent pioneer of the field of text linguistics. ... Teun A Van Dijk, is a prominent pioneer of the field of text linguistics. ... Teun A Van Dijk, is a prominent pioneer of the field of text linguistics. ... Teun A Van Dijk, is a prominent pioneer of the field of text linguistics. ...

• Henry Widdowson (1995). Review of Fairclough's Discourse and Social Change. Applied Linguistics 16(4): 510-516.
• Norman Fairclough (1996). A Reply to Henry Widdowson's 'Discourse Analysis: A Critical View. Language & Literature 5(1): 49-56.
• Henry Widdowson (1996). Reply to Fairclough: Discourse and Interpretation: Conjectures and Refutations. Language & Literature 5(1): 57-69.
• Henry Widdowson (1998). "The Theory and Practice of Critical Discourse Analysis." Applied Linguistics 19/1: 136-151.
• O'Halloran, Kieran A. (2003) Critical Discourse Analysis and Language Cognition. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
• Beaugrande, Robert de (2001). "Interpreting the Discourse of H.G. Widdowson: A Corpus-Based Critical Discourse Analysis. Applied Linguistics 22(1): 104-121.
• Toolan, Michael (1997). What Is Critical Discourse Analysis and Why Are People Saying Such Terrible Things About It? Language & Literature 6(2): 83-103.
• Stubbs, Michael (1998). Whorf's Children: Critical Comments on Critical Discourse Analysis. In Ryan, A. & Wray, A. (Eds.), Evolving Models of Language: British Studies in Applied Linguistics 12, Clevedon: BAAL/Multilingual Matters.
• Blommaert, Jan & Bulcaen, Chris (2000). Critical Discourse Analysis. Annual Review of Anthropology 29: 447-466.
• Blommaert, Jan, Collins, James, Heller, Monica, Rampton, Ben, Slembrouck, Stef & Jef Verschueren. Discourse and Critique. Special issue of Critique of Anthropology 21/1: 5-107 and 21/2:117-183.
• Slembrouck, Stef (2001). Explanation, Interpretation and Critique in the Analysis of Discourse. Critique of Anthropology, 21: 33-57.
• Slembrouck, Stef (2005). Discourse, critique and ethnography: class-oriented coding in accounts of child protection. Language Sciences 27:619-650.
• Threadgold, Terry (2003). Cultural Studies, Critical Theory and Critical Discourse Analysis: Histories, Remembering and Futures. Linguistik Online 14(2). [Online]. Available: http://www.linguistik-online.de/14_03/index.html.
• Tyrwhitt-Drake, Hugh (1999). Resisting the Discourse of Critical Discourse Analysis: Reopening a Hong Kong Case Study. Journal of Pragmatics 31: 1081-1088.

Henry Widdowson (also H.G. Widdowson and sometimes Henry G. Widdowson) is an authority in the field of applied linguistics and language teaching. ... Norman Fairclough (1941 -) is emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Lancaster University. ... Henry Widdowson (also H.G. Widdowson and sometimes Henry G. Widdowson) is an authority in the field of applied linguistics and language teaching. ... Henry Widdowson (also H.G. Widdowson and sometimes Henry G. Widdowson) is an authority in the field of applied linguistics and language teaching. ...

External links

• Research in Critical Discourse Analysis. Website of Teun van Dijk
• Discourse Analysis page at Loughborough
• Norman Fairclough's page (papers for downloading)
• Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis Across Disciplines (Includes glossary of terms and exportable bibliography. Open to community contributions.)

Journals associated with CDA

• Discourse & Society (from 1990)
• Social Semiotics (from 1990)
• Journal of Language and Politics (from 2002)
• Critical Discourse Studies (from 2004)
• Studies in Language & Capitalism (peer-reviewed free online journal, from 2006)
• Journal for Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis Across Disciplines (CADAAD) (peer-reviewed free online journal, from 2007)