Analysing Discourse: Textual Analysis for Social Research by Norman Fairclough (

Publisher Description

Analysing Discourse is an accessible introductory textbook for all students and researchers working with real language data.Drawing on a range of social theorists from Bourdieu to Habermas, as well as his own research, Norman Fairclough's book presents a form of language analysis with a consistently social perspective. His approach is illustrated by and investigated through a range of real texts, from written texts, to a TV debate about the monarchy and a radio broadcast about the Lockerbie bombing. The student-friendly book also offers accessible summaries, an appendix of example texts, and a glossary of terms and key theorists.

Back Cover

Analysing Discourse is an accessible introduction for all students and researchers seeking to use and investigate real language data. Students and researchers in the social sciences, as well as language specialists, often discover that they cannot get as much from texts, conversations or research interviews as they would like because they are unsure exactly how to analyze these language materials. This book helps all students and researchers who rely on real language data to get the most out of their resources. Drawing on a range of social theorists from Bourdieu to Habermas, as well as his own past research, Fairclough's book presents a form of language analysis with a consistently social perspective. His approach is illustrated by and investigated through a range of real texts, from political speeches and TV news reports to management consultancy reports and texts concerning globalization. The book is an essential resource for students seeking to analyze real texts and discourse.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Social Analysis, Discourse Analysis, Text Analysis 1. Introduction 2. Texts, Social Events, and Social Practices 3. Intertextuality and Assumptions Part 2: Genres and Action 4. Genres 5. Meaning Relations between Sentences and Clauses 6. Types of Exchange, Speech Functions, and Grammatical Mood Part 3: Discourses and Representations 7. Discourses 8. Representations of Social Events Part 4: Styles and Identities 9. Styles 10. Modality and Evaluation 11. Conclusion

Review

'This is a through and detailed introduction to textual analysis which will benefit those to whom it is mainly directed: students and researchers in social science and humanities. - escalate

Review Quote

'This is an important text which highlights not only why discourse analysis should be a central method within social science but, unusually, provides the resources necessary for putting this into practice. The book will be an inspiration for social scientists wishing to explore, in a sophisticated way, the importance of language and meaning making in social life.' - Annette Hastings, University of Glasgow 'Covers a wide range of important contemporary concepts in social and political theory taken from many different sources and disciplines. I would certainly recommend it to other researchers in the field as a thought provoking contribution to critical discourse analysis.' - Ulrike Meinhof, University of Southampton

Details