Showing papers on "Discourse analysis published in 2002"

Discourse Analysis as Theory and Method

Abstract: Discourse Analysis as Theory and Method is a systematic introduction to discourse analysis as a body of theories and methods for social research. It brings together three central approaches, Laclau and Mouffe's discourse theory, critical discourse analysis and discursive psychology, in order to establish a dialogue between different forms of discourse analysis often kept apart by disciplinary boundaries. The book introduces the three approaches in a clear and easily comprehensible manner, explaining the distinctive philosophical premises and theoretical perspectives of each approach as well as the methodological guidelines and tools they provide for empirical discourse analysis. The authors also demonstrate the possibilities for combining different discourse analytical and non-discourse analytical approaches in empirical study. Finally, they contextualize discourse analysis within the social constructionist debate about critical social research, rejecting the view that a critical stance is incompatible with social constructionist premises and arguing that critique must be an inherent part of social research.

Discourse Analysis: Investigating Processes of Social Construction

Abstract: Preface 1. What is Discourse Analysis? Defining Discourse Analysis Reasons for Using Discourse Analysis What Lies Ahead 2. The Variety of Discourse Analysis Theoretical Perspectives in Dscourse Analysis Empirical Studies in Discourse Analysis A Useful Methodology 3. Our Research Program Studying Identity Revitalizing Our Critical Approach A New Perspective on Exsisting Theoretical Debates Why We Use Discourse Analysis 4. The Challenges of Discourse Analysis Developing a Research Question Selecting a Site Collecting Data Analyzing the Data Writing Up the Study Make It Interesting 5. Conclusions Contributions Challenges On a Personal Note References About the Authors

Domain analysis in information science

Abstract: What kind of knowledge is needed by information specialists working in a specific subject field like medicine, sociology or music? What approaches have been used in information science to produce kinds of domain‐specific knowledge? This article presents 11 approaches to domain analysis. Together these approaches make a unique competence for information specialists. The approaches are: producing literature guides and subject gateways; producing special classifications and thesauri; research on indexing and retrieving specialities; empirical user studies; bibliometrical studies; historical studies; document and genre studies; epistemological and critical studies; terminological studies, LSP (languages for special purposes), discourse studies; studies of structures and institutions in scientific communication; and domain analysis in professional cognition and artificial intelligence. Specific examples and selective reviews of literature are provided, and the strengths and drawbacks of each of these approaches are discussed.

The Discursive Co‐construction of Knowledge, Identity, and Difference: An Ethnography of Communication in the High School Mainstream

Abstract: This article describes the ethnography of communication as a viable, context-and culture-sensitive method for conducting research on classroom discourse. I first provide an overview of the method and its role in applied linguistics research and then present a study of discourse in mainstream high school classes with a large proportion of students who speak English as a second language. Drawing on social constructivist views of language learning and socialization that recognize the role of participation in language-mediated activities in people's development as fully competent members of sociocultural groups, I examine the macro- and micro-level contexts of communication within one content-area course. I focus on the discourse and interactional features associated with teacher-led whole-class discussions, examining the sequential organization of talk, including turn-taking and other features of participation, and explicit and implicit references to cultural identity and difference. The paper reveals the contradictions and tensions in classroom discourse and in a teacher's attempts to foster respect for cultural identity and difference in a linguistically and socioculturally heterogeneous discourse community. I conclude with a poststructural commentary on the ethnography of communication.

Pragmatics and Discourse: A Resource Book for Students

Abstract: Pragmatics and Discourse, 2nd edition: has been revised and reorganised to place more emphasis on pragmatics covers the core areas of the subject: context and co-text, Speech Act Theory, Conversation Analysis, Exchange Structure, Interactional Sociolinguistics, the Cooperative Principle, Politeness Theory and extends to more applied areas: Corpus Linguistics & Communities of Practice, and Intercultural Pragmatics, Interlanguage Pragmatics & language learning draws on a wealth of texts: from Bend it Like Beckham and The Motorcycle Diaries to political speeches, newspaper extracts and blogs. provides classic readings from the key names in the discipline, from Sperber and Wilson to Fairclough, Wodak and Gumperz is accompanied by a supporting website Key features of the new edition include: two new strands on Corpora & Communities and Culture & Language Learning; the merging of two strands on Context and Co-text; new material from speaker-based cognitive linguistics; updated references; and fresh examples and exercises. Written by an experienced teacher and author, this accessible textbook is an essential resource for all students of English language and linguistics.

Learning as discourse change: A sociocultural mechanism

Abstract: This paper deals with a theoretical mechanism for learning and a methodolo-gical approach for analyzing meaning making in classroom talk and action. It examines thepotential of the approach for illuminating learning on a discursive level, i.e., how discourseschange and how individuals become participants of new practices. Our approach involvesa high-resolution analysis of how meaningful relations are built in encounters betweenindividuals and between individuals and the world. The approach is based mainly on thework of the later Wittgenstein, but also on pragmatism and sociocultural research. Todemonstratehowourapproachcanbeused,weanalyzewhatuniversitystudentslearnduringa practical on insects. We specifically demonstrate how the encounters with physical pinnedinsectscontributetothemeaningstudentsmakeandhowtheseencountersinteractwithotherexperiences during laboratory work. ° C 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 86:1–23, 2002;Published online in Wiley Interscience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/sce.10036

Options of identity in academic writing

Abstract: Students often see academic writing as an alien form of literacy designed to disguise the author and deal directly with facts. Style guides and textbooks commonly portray scholarly writing as a kind of impersonal, faceless discourse, and EAP teachers direct students to remove themselves from their texts. But how realistic is this advice? In this article I briefly explore the most visible expression of a writer’s presence in a text: the use of exclusive first person pronouns. I show that not all disciplines follow the same conventions of impersonality, and that in fact there is considerable scope for the negotiation of identity in academic writing. I argue that by treating academic discourse as uniformly impersonal we actually do a disservice to our students, and that as teachers, we might better assist them by raising their awareness of the options available to them as writers. Writer identity and Students often approach university writing assignments with the idea the myth of

Knowledge producers or knowledge consumers? Argumentation and decision making about environmental management

Abstract: This paper describes a case study involving decision making and argumentation, in the context of wetland environmental management, by 11th-grade students (16-17 years old). The purpose was to study the components of knowledge and skills needed to reach a decision in socio-scientific contexts and to identify them in classroom discourse. The following dimensions of decision making were explored: the use of relevant knowledge to understand and make decisions about the problem; and the critical processing of sources of information and authority and the development of criteria for evaluating possible solutions to the problem. Students' conversations were recorded and analysed using Toulmin's (1958) and Walton's (1996) argument schemes. The students' arguments and warrants were compared with the argument of an external 'official' expert. Issues such as expert status, that is, who can be considered as a source of knowledge and authority and the participation of citizens in scientific practice are also discussed.

Genre analysis: an approach to text analysis for ESP

Abstract: Genre analysis has become an important approach to text analysis, especially in the field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The work of Swales (1981, 1990), in particular, has generated a more focused approach to the teaching of academic writing to non-native postgraduate students or young academics learning to write in their subject. This approach has been much influenced by the work of writing scholars (e.g. Bazerman 1988; Myers 1990a) who have taken on board the findings of the sociology of science, but remains within the ESP and discourse analysis tradition.

The Discourse of the Middle Ground Citizen Shell Commits to Sustainable Development

Abstract: In this study, Foucauldian theory is used to interpret a corporate social report published by the Royal Dutch/Shell Group to reveal the contours of an emerging corporate discourse of sustainability and the knowledge-power dynamics entailed by social reporting. The report could be read simply as a corporate attempt to reestablish discursive regularity and hegemonic control in the wake of challenges by environmentalists and human rights activists. However, the author interprets it in the context of the larger sociopolitical discursive struggle over environment and social justice and finds that Shell’s “embrace” of the concept of sustainable development has transforming effects on the company and on the notion of sustainability itself. This contradictory and ambiguous result is characteristic of discursive struggle, which is where, according to Foucault, power is played out and social change occurs.

Global Warming Wars: Rhetorical and Discourse Analytic Approaches to ExxonMobil's Corporate Public Discourse.

Abstract: This paper analyzes texts published by ExxonMobil on the issue of climate change by employing the related, yet distinct methods that have evolved under the rubric of rhetorical analysis and discourse analysis, as influenced by concepts from Ken neth Burke and Michel Foucault, respectively. My purpose is to compare these two approaches to show their uses and potential value in business communication research. I show how both reveal the socially constructed nature of "reality" and the social effects of language, but are nevertheless distinct in their emphases. For the rhetorical critic, the analytic interest is in the purposeful acts of the language user and the ethical effects of language use. Rhetorical criticism thus considers the devices by which texts frame meaning, create understanding, and promote (or fail to promote) identification between rhetor and audience, thus facilitating co-opera tive action. The Foucauldian approach, by contrast, focuses on the interplay of texts (intertextuality) and discou...

Everyday Talk: Building and Reflecting Identities

Abstract: This engaging text explores how everyday talk--the ordinary kinds of communicating that people do in schools, workplaces, and among family and friends--expresses who we are and who we want to be. The authors interweave rhetorical and cultural perspectives on the "little stuff" of conversation: what we say and how we say it, the terms used to refer to others, the content and style of stories we tell, and more. Numerous detailed examples show how talk is the vehicle through which people build relationships. Students gain skills for thinking more deeply about their own and others' communicative practices, and for understanding and managing interactional difficulties. New to This Edition *Updated throughout to incorporate the latest discourse analysis research. *Chapter on six specific speech genres (for example, organizational meetings and personal conversation). *Two extended case studies with transcripts and discussion questions. *Coverage of digital communication, texting, and social media. *Additional cross-cultural examples. Pedagogical Features Include: *A preview and summary in every chapter. *Accessible explanations of core concepts. *End-of-book glossary. *Endnotes that identify key authors and suggest further reading.

Gender identity and discourse analysis

Abstract: 1 1 Gender identity and discourse analysis: Theoretical and empirical considerations (by Sunderland, Jane) 2 Theorising Gender and Discourse 3 2 Yes, but is it gender? (by Swann, Joan) 4 3 Rethinking politeness, impoliteness and gender identity (by Mills, Sara) 5 4 Stunning, shimmering, iridescent: Toys as the representation of gendered social actors (by Caldas-Coulthard, Carmen Rosa) 6 Discourse and Gendered Identities in the Media 7 5 Consuming personal relationships: The achievement of feminine self-identity through other-centeredness (by Lazar, Michelle M) 8 6 'Head to Head': Gendered repertoires in newspaper arguments (by Litosseliti, Lia) 9 7 Is there anything "new" about these lads?: The textual and visual construction of masculinity in men's magazines (by Benwell, Bethan) 10 Discourse, Sexuality and Gender Identities 11 8 The case of the indefinite pronoun: Discourse and the concealment of lesbian identity in class (by Morrish, Liz) 12 9 Erotic discourse strategies in powerless women: Analysing psychiatric interviews (by Telles Ribeiro, Branca) 13 Discourse and Gender Identities in Education 14 10 From representation towards discursive practices: Gender in the foreign language textbook revisited (by Sunderland, Jane) 15 11 "What's the hottest part of the sun? Page 3!": Children'sexplorationof adolescent gender identities through informal talk (by Maybin, Janet) 16 Gendered Discourses of Parenthood 17 12 Pregnant self and lost identity in Ana Blandiana's 'Children's Crusade': An ironical echo of the patriarchal pro-natality discourse in communist Romania (by Sorea, Daniela) 18 13 Baby entertainer, bumbling assistant and line manager: Discourses of paternal identity in parentcraft texts (by Sunderland, Jane) 19 Subject Index 20 Name Index

The Making of the Female Entrepreneur : A Discourse Analysis of Research Texts on Women’s Entrepreneurship

Abstract: Departing from a social constructionist understanding of gender, this thesis examines how the female entrepreneur is constructed in research articles about women’s entrepreneurship. It finds that e ...

Chinese pragmatic norms and ‘China English’

Abstract: In this paper we shall first consider a selection of discourse and rhetorical norms of Modern Standard Chinese and then contrast them with a comparable selection of discourse and rhetorical norms of an ‘inner circle’ variety of English. As the transfer of discourse and rhetorical norms from a first to a second language commonly occurs, we predict that a Chinese variety of English is characterised by a number of discourse and rhetorical norms derived from Chinese. We argue that the presence of these L1 discourse and rhetorical norms should not be seen as ‘deviations’ from Anglo norms, but that, as Chinese speakers are more likely to use the language with other English speakers in the East Asian region rather than with speakers of inner circle varieties of English, the Chinese variety of English is actually a more culturally appropriate model of English than any superimposed ‘Anglo’ norm. Our discussion also considers the importance in China traditionally attached to ‘models’ and ‘standards’ and speculates on the extent to which educators and officials in China are likely to accept a Chinese variety of English as a model for the classroom.

Using Instructional Discourse Analysis to Study the Scaffolding of Student Self-Regulation

Abstract: This article describes how scaffolded instruction during whole-class mathematics lessons can provide the knowledge, skills, and supportive context for developing students' self-regulatory processes. In examining classroom interactions through discourse analysis, these qualitative methods reflect a theoretical change from viewing self-regulation as an individual process to that of a social process. This article illustrates how studying instructional scaffolding through the analyses of instructional discourse helps further the understanding of how self-regulated learning develops and is realized in mathematics classrooms. Qualitative methods, such as discourse analyses, and their underlying theoretical frameworks have great potential to help "unlock" theories of learning, motivation, and self-regulation through exploring the reciprocity of teaching and learning in classrooms.

Pedagogic Discourse and Equity in Mathematics" When Teachers' Talk Matters

Abstract: In this paper, we discuss the role and nature of pedagogic discourse. We argue that teachers’ talk plays a much more important role in students’ learning than is often considered—particularly in the learning of racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students. We present one teacher who has a record of assisting her fifth grade Latino students to make significant academic gains in mathematics, and we examine the way she uses her talk in teaching and how students in her class develop control over the mathematics discourse. To help make our point, we contrast this teacher with another teacher whose instructional talk is not as mathematically rich.

The Psychology Of Men's Health

Abstract: This book provides a clear and relatively concise social psychology, drawing together the variety of arguments, controversies and approaches that constitute the field. It is organised around three interrelated aspects of critics' dissatisfaction with social psychology: its methods and claim to be a science (the paradigm crisis); its mental concepts and especially its view of selfhood (the conceptual crisis); and its dehumanising character and the political effects of psychological practices and knowledge (the moral/political crisis). Several critical tools have guided efforts to rethink the discipline, such as sociological and philosophical studies of science, the turn to language, discourse analysis, feminism and poststructuralism. These are described and their usefulness is examined in providing a critique of and alternatives to social psychology's subject and method. The emphasis throughout is on the variety of approaches to deconstructing and reconstructing social psychology, encouraging a broad appreciation of subsequent controversies such as realism and agency. Students will welcome the clarity of the author's approach to a field which has seemed daunting and impenetrable in the past.

The Seen, the Spoken, and the Written: A Semiotic Approach to the Problem of Objectification of Mathematical Knowledge.

Abstract: In this shmt passage, van Gogh provides us with a clear example of how complex it is to see. TO see an object or a certain state of affairs properly, it is not merely enough to stand in front of it and look ln the quoted passage, the same tones and colors that van Gogh used to see suddenly appeared to him in a new light We do not know exactly how Mauve taught him to see what he was not able to see before Perhaps, both of them were standing in front of a painting and Mauve, holding his btush, pointed to some colours while explaining their contrast and tone differences. Pointing and words may have made visible, for the first time to Vincent van Gogh, something new something that had escaped him until then Mauve's lesson is an example of a process of objectification: that is, etymologically speaking, a process aimed at bringing something in front of someone's attention or view Mauve's signs (e g the words and gestures that he might have used to make his point about coloms and tones) are part of what I have termed elsewhere (Radford, 2003) semiotic means of objectification e g objects, artifacts, linguistic devices and signs that are intentionally used by individuals in social processes of meaning production, in order to achieve a stable fmm of awareness, to make apparent their intentions and to carry out their actions In learning mathematics, our contempotaty students face a situation that is not so very different from van Gogh's. Students also need to learn to see beyond etude perception and to find something that was unnoticed previously e g the center of gravity of a triangle, an irrational nmnber such as >/2 or the general term of a pattern. But to make the mathematical objects somehow apparent even the most accmate ostensive gesture would not be good enough, for, as Gottlob Frege observed, mathematical objects are neither palpable nor directly perceivable How then are we going to deal with objects that cannot be directly perceived, such as nmnbers and other mathematical objects? Frege answered: with symbols (1892/1977, p. 144) But Frege's insightful answer leads inunediately to a trickier, more difficult question ln what sense do mathematical objects become known through signs? Can we equate the conceptual objects with the symbols representing them? Frege categorically answered, no, contending that we have to avoid the danger of confusing the objects with their symbols

Applying conversation analysis in applied linguistics: Evaluating dialogue in English as a second language textbooks

Abstract: This article examines telephone dialogues in English as a second language (ESL) textbooks against the backdrop of what is reported about real telephone interaction in conversation analysis research An analysis of eight textbooks reveals that the fit between what conversation analysts say about natural telephone conversation and the examples found in textbooks is unsatisfactory Elements such as summon–answer, identification, greeting, and how-are-you sequences, often found in naturally occurring telephone exchanges, are absent, incomplete, or problematic in the textbook dialogues The article arguesthat as the focus in language pedagogy increasingly turns toward the development of teaching materials informed by studies in discourse analysis, it may be important for materials writers and language teachers to pay attention to interconnections betweenlanguage (or talk), sequencestructure, and social action The juxtaposition of natural telephone conversation with textbook “conversation” displays the tension between linguistic competence and linguistic performance, between understanding language as process and language as product

Researching consumers in virtual worlds: a cyberspace odyssey

Abstract: Following Belk's (1991) Consumer Behaviour Odyssey, the authors suggest the need for a new odyssey, one that focuses on consumers in virtual worlds. In this paper the authors discuss the relevance of virtual communities for marketers and how ethnographic research methods can be adapted to the online environment. The unique methodological problems, opportunities and ethical dilemmas for researchers are considered that online ethnography raises before an exploration of how discourse analysis can assist in the interpretation of data collected online. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications.

3. meaning beyond the clause: sfl perspectives

Abstract: This chapter takes note of the longstanding orientation Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) to discourse studies before moving to a more detailed and selective presentation of current developments in SFL with respect to discourse models, developing research methodologies, and applications to different domains The reinterpretation of cohesion as discourse semantics (identification, negotiation, conjunction, and ideation) is reviewed with respect to metafunctions (textual, interpersonal, and ideational) This work on texture is then related to social context through the register variables tenor, field and mode alongside genre The chapter then reviews recent SFL-inspired research that applies these models to analysis of discourse across languages, modalities of communication, and domains Work done on school and workplace discourse has raised new questions about appropriate units of discourse structure and their relationship to register analysis It is predicted that some of these questions may be answered by the development of improved software for discourse analyses affording greater specificity in mapping the relationships among genres

Talk in institutional context and institutional context in talk: Categories as situated practices

Abstract: The conception of the relationship between social context and communicative practices is a critical element of social science theorizing. What is at stake is, amongst other things, the balance between accounting for stable institutional practices, on the one hand, and the occasioned nature of interactional accomplishments, on the other. This analytical issue is discussed in the context of talk in a particular institutional setting, an employment office, with particular reference to the use of categories, a rather neglected topic in discourse analysis. In this setting, participants invoke specific traditions of argumentation and ways of reasoning through their use of categories (and categorical knowledge), and such resources are essential for the accomplishment of interaction. This implies, amongst other things, that for the analyst to be able to account for the accomplishment of in situ talk, familiarity with traditions of argumentation and their constituting possibilities within institutional practices is essential.

Competing discourses in the classroom: a Post-structuralist Discourse Analysis of girls' and boys' speech in public contexts

Abstract: ABSTRA C T. This article responds to Billig’s (2000) call for new forms of writing that might challenge the ‘linguistic orthodoxies’ of the critical paradigm. It also responds to Van Dijk’s appeal in this journal for more examination of the differences between Conversational Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis. It argues that Post-structuralist Discourse Analysis (PDA) 1 offers an alternative account of spoken interactions to those of CA and CDA, in that it explores how fluctuating power relations between speakers are continuously reconstructed through competing discourses. This approach is exemplified by a comparative analysis of girls’ and boys’ talk in a secondary English class, which was being assessed for its effectiveness in public contexts. The study reveals a link between the more powerful discursive positioning of boys, and the extent to which they were adjudged more ‘effective’ than girls as public speakers. However, a post-structuralist analysis shows that because girls are multiply located in discourse and not constituted as victims, they can be taught to resist certain dominant classroom practices.

Barriers to Managing Diversity in a UK Constabulary: The Role of Discourse

Abstract: The literature on diversity management has tended to obfuscate some of the theoretical and methodological shortcomings associated with research in this area. Specifically, the literature tends to make a number of rather naive assumptions about the experiences and aspirations of disadvantaged groups. This paper seeks to problematize the universalist and partisan tendencies that typify much of the diversity literature by focusing on the issue of ‘resistance’. Using a form of discourse analysis informed by Foucauldian principles, the paper explores how ‘resistance’ to diversity initiatives is expressed by both ‘dominant’ and ‘subordinated’ groups in a UK police force. It is argued that ‘resistance’ is better thought of as a discursive resource that can be drawn upon to justify or account for one’s own organizational experiences and, in turn, the need to both justify and account for one’s experiences is located in broader discursive fields that reproduce dominant ideologies of liberal democracies. The theoretical implications of this position are discussed and a case is presented for more critical and theoretical approaches in the diversity management literature.