Corpus linguistics has now come of age and Corpus Approaches to Discourse equips students with the means to question, defend and refine the methodology. Looking at corpus linguistics in discourse research from a critical perspective, this volume is a call for greater reflexivity in the field. The chapters, each written by leading authorities, contain an overview of an emerging area and a case-study, presenting practical advice alongside theoretical reflection. Carefully structured with an introduction by the editors and a conclusion by leading researcher, Paul Baker, this is key reading for advanced students and researchers of corpus linguistics and discourse analysis.
Approaches to Discourse Analysis demonstrates the importance of the diverse perspectives that various approaches to discourse bring to bear on human communication. Linguists and other readers interested in the interplay of language and culture will gain new insight and understanding from this rich compilation.
This book provides an overview of a range of quantitative methods, presenting a thorough analytical toolbox which will be of practical use to researchers across the social sciences as they face the challenges raised by new technology-driven language practices. The book is driven by a reflexive mind-set which views quantifying methods as complementary rather than in opposition to qualitative methods, and the chapters analyse a multitude of different intra- and extra-textual context levels essential for the understanding of how meaning is (re-)constructed in society. Uniting contributions from a range of national and disciplinary traditions, the chapters in this volume bring together state-of-the-art research from British, Canadian, French, German and Swiss authors representing the fields of Political Science, Sociology, Linguistics, Computer Science and Statistics. It will be of particular interest to discourse analysts, but also to other scholars working in the digital humanities and with big data of any kind.
A systematic introduction to discourse analysis as a body of theories and methods for social research. Introduces three approaches and explains the distinctive philosophical premises and theoretical perspectives of each approach.
In this groundbreaking collection, scholars within the field of linguistics and beyond offer discourse analyses in multiple languages, contexts, and modes, demonstrating the importance of the diverse perspectives that various approaches to discourse bring to bear on human communication.
Material Discourse – Materialist Analysis explores the entanglement of material realities and discourse and shows how a materialist discourse analysis can be put into practice. A cognate concern for language and discourse, as well as well as materiality and materialism can look back on a long tradition in the Social Sciences and Humanities. This book makes their relation an explicit focus. Located at the intersections of materialism and Discourse Studies, it highlights the materiality of discourse and the entanglement of matter and meaning. The essays collected in this volume are united by a rejection of static dichotomies such as discursive / material, language / materiality or material / immaterial. Rather than presenting materialism and Discourse Studies as distinct from one another, they are shown to be intimately entwined. The book brings together theoretical and empirical contributions from a whole range of disciplines, fields, and academic contexts in a truly transdisciplinary and global manner. Material Discourse – Materialist Analysis is a timely intervention into the ongoing debates revolving around materiality, materialism, discourse, and language, as well as the intricate relations between them.
Functional approaches to the study of language may not only be used to characterize discourse structures, but also to assess their communicative quality. In fact, discourse analysis and evaluation are conceptually related activities. In this volume the link between analysis and evaluation is explored in seven studies discussing a variety of discourse genres like package inserts, telephone openings, survey interviews, meetings, government brochures and direct mail letters. The analytical concepts used stem from different strands of research into language, including cognitive linguistics, pragmalinguistics, conversational analysis and persuasion research.
Approaches to Discourse Particles serves as a unique reference by presenting the spectrum of approaches to discourse particles/markers in their richness and variability, whilst ensuring that the differences and similarities between the approaches are clear and comparable. With the hundreds of studies now published on discourse particles/markers, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make such comparisons. Fischer addresses this problem by asking renowned researchers from different linguistic backgrounds to describe their particular ways of accounting for some of the most important problem areas by addressing issues such as: definition; the functional spectrum of the items considered; the model of polyfunctionality proposed; and the broader framework of the model.Discourse particles fulfil many different functions; they contribute to text structuring, dialogue management, turn-taking, politeness, and more. Their investigation is, thus, relevant from many different perspectives within pragmatics and linguistics as a whole. Approaches to Discourse Particles constitutes an important orientation for newcomers to the field, as well as providing the necessary guidance and reference for the many scholars now working in the growing research community. "Wide-ranging and useful... Places the assumptions underlying divergent approaches in sharp relief." – Lawrence Schourup, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan
This book is designed as an introduction to Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and gives an overview of the various theories and methods associated with this sociolinguistic approach. It also introduces the reader to the leading figures in CDA and the methods to which they are most closely related. The text aims to provide a comprehensive description of the individual methods, an understanding of the theories to which methods refer and a comparative treatment of each of these methods so that students may be able to determine which is the most appropriate to select for their particular research question. Given the balance between theory and application, plus the intended audience - no previous knowledge of CDA is assumed - Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis should be useful reading for both students and researchers in the fields of linguistics, sociology, social psychology and the social sciences in general.