Critical Discourse

1. THE DEFINITIONS AND THE PRINCIPLES
OF
CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
Umar – Meicy Intan Sari
THURSDAY,
NOVEMBER 10, 2022

2. Definitions of Critical Discourse Analysis
A way of examining language not as grammatical
tool but as how it is used in real life situation.
The examination of language goes beyond a
sentence construction to embrace meaning outside
a sentence.
It looks at the social aspect of utterances in terms
of the political situation on ground.
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D

3. Continued
CDA observes that language is not neutral.
Any language or wording is informed by the intention of
the speaker who wants to influence the listener to see
reality the way he sees it. The speaker also wants to be
influential therefore have power to affect the way others
think and handle themselves in everyday life.
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D

4. A research methodology that views language as a form
of social practice and seeks to identify power
asymmetries and structural inequities that may be
created, established, and reinforced through language
use (Fairclough, 2013).
The study of language and how its codes, norms, and
interactions create identities and culture.
Continued
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D

5. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is a growing interdisciplinary
research movement composed of multiple distinct theoretical and
methodological approaches to the study of language
Critical discourse analysis takes linguistic and psychosocial
approaches one step further by analyzing the data from a decidedly
critical stance.
Discourse analysis not only captures something important about the
social world, but also plays a key ethical and political role in showing
how social phenomena are discursively constituted: it demonstrates
how things come to be as they are, that they could be different, and
thereby that they can be changed (Hammersley, 2003, p. 758).
Continued

6. Continued
Kramer (2007, 93) defined critical discourse analysis as a system of
analysis that “attends to discreet portions of the language with a
particular socio-historical context with an aim of providing a multi-
layered analysis of how the language operates communicate surface
level language as well as underlying dynamics of interpersonal relations,
cultural traces, institutional influences, and ultimately power.”
Critical discourse analysis, which is a subset of the critical theory,
considers the functioning of texts in developing and changing social
systems in relation to demographic aspects such as race, economic
status, education levels, sexual orientation, religion, age and gender. It
development resulted from the inclusion of social aspects in the
analysis of texts.

7. Continued
Budd and Raber (1996) supported this definition suggesting that CDA
pays attention to confirming a discourse’s constructive implication by
studying texts in a systematic and structured manner.
From some definitions above, CDA seeks to understand the connection
between power and language through the study of social imbalance as
people develop, legitimize and express it through language. The
definitions imply CDA is the assessment and analysis of transparent
and opaque system and structural links between discrimination, power
and control as well as dominance manifested in the use of language.

8. CDA and DA
DA
• DA is a series of interdisciplinary
approaches that can be used to explore
many different social domains in many
different types of studies (Jorgensen
and Phillips, 2002:12)
CDA
• It focuses on social problems, and
especially on the role of discourse in
the production and reproduction of
power abuse or dominations (Van
Dijk. 2001: 96)
As may be guessed from the label of each of the two concepts, CDA and
DA (Discourse Analysis) do not mean the same thing.
Concerning the difference between CDA and DA, Rogers (2004:3) claims
that CDA differs from other discourse analysis methods in that it includes
not only a description and interpretation of discourse in context, but also
offers an explanation of why and how discourses work.

9. Framework of CDA in Context by Rogers
Description
Interpretation
Explanation: Why and
how discourses works
Description is the stage which is concerned
with formal properties of the text.
Interpretation is a concerned with the relationship
between text and interaction; viewing the text as the
product of a process of production and as a resource in
the process of interpretation.
Explanation is concerned with the relationship between
interaction and social context with social determination
of the process of production and interpretation, and
their social effects.

10. Principles of CDA
1
• It is problem or Issue Oriented: Any theoretical and methodological approach is
relevant as long it is able to successfully study relevant social problems such as
sexism, racism, and other forms of social inequality.
2
• In order to study social problems or issues adequately, CDA work is typically inter-
or multidisciplinary, and especially focuses on the relations between discourse
and society;
3
• CDA does not characterize a school, a field or a sub-discipline of
discourse analysis, but rather an explicitly critical approach, position,
or stance of studying text and talk.

11. Continued
4
• CDA especially focuses on (group) relations of power, dominance and inequality
and the ways these are reproduced or resisted by social group members through
text and talk;
5
• Much work in CDA is about the underlying ideologies, that play a role in the
reproduction of or resistance against dominance or inequality;
6
• CDA studies are geared to uncovering, revealing or disclosing what is implicit, hidden
or otherwise not immediately obvious in relations of discursively enacted dominance or
their underlying ideologies. That is, CDA especially focuses on the strategies of
manipulation, legitimation, the manufacture of consent and other discursive ways
to influence the minds (and indirectly the actions) of people in the interest of the powerful;

12. Continued
7
• This attempt to uncover the discursive means of mental control and social influence
implies a critical and oppositional stance against the powerful and the elites,
and especially those who abuse of their power;
8
• On the other hand, studies in CDA try to formulate or sustain an overall
perspective of solidarity with dominated groups, e.g., by formulating strategic
proposals for the enactment and development of counter-power and counter-
ideologies in practices of challenge and resistance.
As stated above, Fairclough & Wodak (1997) draw on the aforementioned criteria
and set up eight basic principles or tenets of CDA as follows: (i) CDA addresses
social problems; (ii) power relations are discursive; (iii) discourse constitutes
society and culture; (iv) discourse does ideological work; (v) discourse is historical;
(vi) the link between text and society is mediated; (vii) discourse analysis is
interpretative and explanatory; (viii) discourse is a form of social action (cf. Van
Dijk, 1995:353; Jahedi, Abdullah &Mukundan, 2014:29).

13. Approaches to CDA
Fairclough’s Socio-Cultural Approach
Fairclough's system of discourse analysis has three dimensions, since
discourse is seen simultaneously as: (i) a text (spoken or written, including
visual images), (ii) a discourse practice production, consumption and
distribution of the text, and (iii) a socio cultural practice.
Fairclough provides a three-dimensional framework for the analysis of
text and discourse:
(a) the linguistic description of the formal properties of the text;
(b) The interpretation of the relationship between the discursive
processes/interaction and the text, and finally,
(c) the explanation of the relationship between discourse and social and
cultural reality.

14. Approaches to CDA
Van Dijk’s Socio-Cognitive Approach
Van Dijk rather concentrates on social cognition as the mediating part between
text and society. He claims that CDA needs to account for the various forms of
social cognitions that are shared by the social collectivities (groups,
organizations and institutions) (Van Dijk, 2001).
Van Dijk further identifies two levels of (discourse) analysis: macro vs. micro.
Language use, discourse, verbal interaction and communication determine the
micro level of social order, while the macro level refers to power, dominance and
inequality between social groups (Van Dijk, 2003).
He defines „social power‟ in terms of control (Van Dijk, 2003) and views
ideologies as "the basis of the social representations of groups" (Van Dijk,
2006:131). He therefore argues that "groups have (more or less) power if they
are able to (more or less) control the acts and minds of (members of) other
groups" (Van Dijk, 2003:354-5). Furthermore, he emphasizes that ideological
discourse is generally organized by a general strategy of positive self-
presentation (boasting) and negative other-presentation (derogation)

15. Wodak’s Discourse-Historical Approach
Approaches to CDA
Wodak‟s discourse-historical approach views discourse as a form of social
practice.
Wodak has focused on the interdisciplinary and eclectic nature of CDA, since
problems in our society are too complex to be studied from a single point of
view. Thus, to understand and explain the object under investigation, one
needs to integrate diverse theories and methods. She thus contends that
"studies in CDA are multifarious, derived from quite different theoretical
backgrounds, oriented towards different data and methodologies" (Wodak,
2001:5).
Wodak (2001:11) states that identity politics on all levels always entails the
integration of past experiences, present events and future visions in many
domains of our lives. This involves analysing, understanding and explaining
the relationship between complex historical processes, hegemonic narratives
and CDA approaches.

16. How is critical discourse analysis done
or undertaken?
Van Dijk (1997) raised several questions to guide text analysis on:
1. Transitivity
2. Mood and Modality
3. Vocabulary
4. Interactional Control Features
5. Topically
6. Presuppositions
7. Vagueness
8. Implication

17. Referensi
Fairclough, Norman. 1992. Language and Power. London. Longman
--------------- 1995. Media Discourse. London: Edward Arnold.
--------------- 1995. Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of
Language. London: Longman.
--------------- 1992a. Discourse and Sosial Change. Cambridge : Polity
Press.
--------------- 1992b. Discourse and Text: Linguistic and Intertextual
Analysis within Discourse Analysis. Discourse and Society. 3
(2): 193 – 217.
--------------- 2003. Analysing Discourse : Textual Analysing for Sosial
Research. London: Routledge.
--------------- 2000a. New Labour New Language? London: Routledge.
--------------- dan Ruth Wodak. 1997. Critical Discourse Analysis dalam
Teun A van Dijk (ed). Discourse as Social Interaction :
Discourse a Multidiciplinary Introduction, Vol 2, London,
Sage Production. Dll.
Franck A 2018. Principles, Theories and Approaches to Critical
Discourse Analysis. (IJSELL) Volume 6 No 1, pp 11-18