Discourse Analysis1

Discourse Analysis & Everything You Need to Know

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Discourse analysis is a qualitative research method used commonly in the field of social science, humanities, cultural studies, and more. The approach refers to the process of analyzing a written or spoken language in its social context. 

When you google the word “Discourse” the first thing to come up is “written or spoken communication or debate”. And as Cambridge would say, “discourse is communication in speech or writing”. 

What we get to understand in simple words is, Discourse refers to a discussion concerning a topic. It can be done in writing or even face to face. In other words, discourse can be communicated through words.

For instance; 

  1. A teacher discussing math with his students.
  2. A team talking about their project.

Let’s understand what is discourse analysis and how it is used in everyday life. 

 

What exactly is Discourse Analysis?

According to the famous Oxford Dictionary, Discourse Analysis is “Linguistics, a method of analyzing the structure of texts or utterances longer than one sentence, taking into account both their linguistic content and their sociolinguistic context; analysis performed using this method.”

Discourse Analysis is a method to study the written & spoken language which deals mostly with its social use. Understanding the cultural and social context of the languages is an important agenda for discourse analysis. Using that helps to mend their linguistic and sociological aspects. 

Discourse analysis aims to research the working of the language and learn the meaning derived from the words, depending on the situation. In the process of analysis, the context of the conversation is taken into consideration along with its meaning. 

For instance, the context may include the location of the speaker or non-verbal cues (body language) at the time of the discourse. In written communication, images and symbols used may encompass the context. 

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Why do you need Discourse Analysis?

Let’s understand with an example. 

You are analyzing a speaker’s speech, for you to understand the context of his speech completely, you will need to study the background of the speaker, why did he choose to speak on that topic, the background of the audience, and that of the locality he is speaking in. 

One can also predict the power imbalance amongst the people by observing them talk to each other. How they are cultivated in culture and communicated through a language. Hence this analysis approach can prove a perfect fit to assess social issues.

Example:

A politician (someone with more power) talking to their followers (someone with less power).

You can use discourse analysis if you want to understand the following factors in the way the two groups communicate. 

  1. Power or Inequality 
  2. How do the two groups communicate in a specific context (in a public procession with media Vs. in a meeting with no media)
  3. Ideology – how ideas and beliefs are shared using verbal language
  4. Achieving social goals using verbal communication 

Discourse analysis can be a suitable tool to study social issues such as power imbalance. Moreover, there are many approaches you can use to understand discourse in its social context. Let’s take a look at these approaches in the following section. 

Approaches to Discourse Analysis

Depending on one’s purpose of the analysis, there are two main approaches of Discourse Analysis one can use. These are namely:

Language in use:

This approach focuses on the regular use of language in communication. It includes paying attention to sentence structures, grammar, phonology, etc. It traces back to formal ways of language usage, language in use pays attention to proper rules of grammar and when the language sounds ok to a native. 

This method helps in understanding the technicality of the language and how it is used in day-to-day conversations. 

Example:

The language English has the prefix “un” and the suffix “able” as in “unpredictable” However, an English speaker may say, “That’s un-flipping-predictable”. From a language-in-use perspective, the infix “flipping” could be confusing. 

Discourse analysis can be used to examine what is the role of the infix, or how it helps in everyday conversation. 

Socio-Political:

This approach of discourse analysis focuses on not only the technicalities but also on how a language influences the social and political context and another way round. 

  1. Critical Discourse Analysis- focuses on the power spectrum. Eg: Teachers and their students.
  2. Normalized power- firm and suggestive, refers to one’s existence in the society and within its norms. E.g., people not talking in the library.
  3. Repressive power– is confidently believed. E.g.: parents threaten their kids with a punishment.

If you look closely, the above sub-approaches are related to each other.

Steps to carry out in Discourse Analysis

Finalize your approach:

You need to decide what approach you want to use. This depends on what you are going to use discourse analysis for. Understand the aim and objective of the problem and research questions. You need to have an approach or a combination of an approach that best satisfies your research and best aligns with your study’s purpose.

Gathering Data: 

Once you have finalized your approach, it’s time to collect your data. Discourse analysis uses data in the form of talk or text. 

You can use the following resources to gather qualitative data to examine discourse: 

  1. Newspapers and periodicals
  2. Brochures or other marketing materials
  3. Government documents 
  4. Social media comments, online forums, and website comments/reviews
  5. Interviews or qualitative surveys

To avoid irrelevant and redundant data, make sure to answer the “what” “why” and “who” questions with respect to your case study. This will help you save time and keep your research on the right track.

Explore all the survey question types possible on Voxco

Investigating context:

The key is to understand the concept and its meaning. Look to it that you come up with answers to

  1. What is it?
  2. Why is it?
  3. When did it take place?
  4. Where did it happen?
  5. Who was in it?
  6. What does it say about society?
  7. How is it conveyed?

Analyzing gathered data:

After collecting the relevant data, look for patterns and themes. Examine elements you identify in the data and relate them to the themes and patterns relevant to your research purpose. 

For example, you can examine words or statements that relate to the dominance of the politician towards the followers. The words can include themes that reflect values or beliefs towards those with less power or body language that shows authority. 

Final review:

This includes returning to your research questions and seeing that you have satisfied all concerning requirements. After assigning attributes to the elements, you should start examining the meaning of the language. 

Analyze in a broader context to draw a better conclusion for your research.  

Online Surveys

Discourse Analysis: Real-Word Example

The example is how a healthcare facility used discourse analysis to understand the dissonance between patients and care providers.

In a study funded by The Health Foundation, discourse analysis was applied to transcripts of conversations between doctors & patients were used to examine where misunderstandings were occurring. 

Two consultation audio-recording of 25 patients of breast cancer diagnostic consultations were analyzed using theme-oriented discourse analysis to investigate the moment of dissonance.  

The result of the discourse analysis showed that 8 out of 25 patients or their partners deferred the clinician’s treatment decision. Six patients asked for a recommendation. 

In medicinal science, discourse analysis helps physicians ensure that they are understood by their patients, especially those with limited language skills. 

Summing up,

You are all set to conduct your discourse analysis. The vital thing to remember is that the process considers the social & cultural context in which language is used. 

Therefore, discourse analysis can be used in business research, academic research, or government research, as long as the aim is to understand the aspect of communication. 

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