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Discourse

Submitted by admin on 3 September, 2006 - 11:34.

Inspired by Foucault, Kress (1985: 6-7) offers the following definition: "a discourse provides a set of possible statements about a given area, and organises and gives structure to the manner in which a particular topic, object, process is to be talked about." Also inspired by Foucault, Fairclough applies the concept of order of discourse, where "the order of discourse of some social domain is the totality of its discursive practices, and the relationships...between them" (1995a: 132).

 

In contrast to these abstract notions of discourse, 'discourse' at the microlevel refers to actual language use or usages situated in time and place. Discourse in this sense can consist in different registers. Following Halliday and Hasan (1985: 38-39) registers are varieties of language "typically associated with a particular situational configuration of field, tenor and mode", for example, parliamentary debates, election manifestos or hard news articles. Whilst some authors make distinctions between them, talk and text can be considered verbal and written forms of discourse in this concrete sense.

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Critical

Submitted by christopher.hart on 4 September, 2006 - 14:23.

By 'critical', it is understood that analysts explicitly object to inequality in social relations. According to Billig (2003: 38):

Critical Discourse Analysis does not claim to be 'critical' because of a technical or methodological difference from other approaches to the study of language. It is claimed that Critical Discourse Analysis . . . is critical because it is rooted in a radical critique of social relations.

Given this critical perspective and the insight into the power of discourse, 'critical' social theory which has concerned itself with discourse has provided a major theoretical ground for CDA to tread. Amongst the most influential of scholars here is the French post-structuralist philosopher, Foucault (Fairclough 1989, 1992, 1995, 2003). Another influential school of thought that has been an important source for CDA is the Marxist-influenced Critical Theory of the Frankfurt School, in particular that of Adorno and Horkheimer, later followed by Habermas (Fowler et al. 1979; Fairclough 1989; Wodak 1996; Wodak and Meyer 2001). Quoting Habermas (1977: 259), Wodak (2001: 2) asserts that:

most critical discourse analysts would endorse Habermas's claim that ‘language is also a medium of domination and social force. It serves to legitimise relations of organised power. In so far as the legitimations of power relations . . . are not articulated . . . language is also ideological'.

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