Discourse Analysis is a systematic study of text and talk drawing on theory of language, but it differ from text linguistic that it goes beyond the sentence structure, syntax grammar. These essential difference between discourse analysis and text linguistic is that discourse analysis aim at socio psychological characteristics of person and subject position rather than text structure.
Discourse Analysis as a Method of Research
Discourse analysis is widely used in range of disciplines in Humanities and Social Sciences each of which is subject to its own assumptions, dimensions of analysis, and methodologies. Thus, there is no one singular method of undertaking discourse analysis across the various disciplines.Sociological Discourse Analysis
sociological discourse analysis shares many of the elements found in analyses conducted in a wide range of disciplines including linguistics, ethnography, anthropology and psychology etc.In Sociology the analysis is embedded in, and emerging out of relations of power in society.
Because those in control of institutions like media, politics. Law, medicine and education control the formation of discourse in such institutions.As such power and knowledge are intimately related and work together to create hierarchies.Hence the notion of ” Dominant discourse”
Spontanous and Induced Discourse
Spontaneous discourse refers to discourse produced by subjects in their everyday lives. Books, records of court proceedings or television programs etc.Induced discourses are produced within the framework of research, and are more often the fundamental material which sociologists work with when conducting analyses.Qualitative intervews, focus group discussions....Intersubjectivity
The interest in discourse as a means of understanding social reality is based on the notion of the subjective orientation of social action. Given that social action is guided by the meaning that individuals attach to their actions, we must account for this meaning when attempting to understand and explain the action. Yet meaning is not only a product of individual constraints and beliefs. Instead, the meanings that guide individual actions are, to a large degree, socially produced and shared patterns.Discourse analysis as a social research method is therefore grounded in two basic assumptions:
1. the knowledge of social intersubjectivity provides us with indirect knowledge about the social order because intersubjectivity is a product of it and because the social order is formed and functions through this social intersubjectivity
2. Discourse analysis allows us to understand social intersubjectivity because discourses contain it and because social intersubjectivity is produced through discursive practices.
Texual Analysis
Texutal analysis requires two steps (especially in spoken discorse or communication):1. DESCRIPTION of non-verbal communication (moments of silence and their duration, emphasis, meaningful gestures and expressions, hesitations and so forth) pertaining to symbolic communication or Semiotics.
2. TRANSCRIPTION of verbal communication or what is commonly understood as content analysis of the text. Content analysis is a technique for systematically describing written, spoken or visual communication. It provides a quantitative (numerical) description. Many content analyses involve media - print (newspapers, magazines), television, video, movies, the Internet. Content refers to the meaning of the information. (see later of media discourse).
Contextual Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis is provided in ppt file below. Kindly download it to get full complete lecture in ppt format.
This lecture is provided by Sir, Mustafa Hussain.
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