As previously mentioned that are multiple styles of discourse analysis, fifty-seven varieties to be precise, however, this book only explored three of these types. The first style explores a variety of positions known as critical linguistics, social semiotics or critical language studies. These mainly are concerned with the relationship between language and politics. The second style stresses the functional or action orientation of discourse, interested in what accounts are designed to accomplish, and look in detail at the organisation of social interaction. The third style is associated with poststructuralism, which has broken from the realist views on language, an example of a poststructuralist doing this was Michel Foucault.  

 

Discourse analysis can be split into four different themes. The first focuses on how language is constructive and constructed. The second on the ‘assembly’ of speech, how an individual makes a choice or selection from a number of different possibilities when talking. The third explores how discourse is a social practice, and therefore how discourse is either ‘action orientated’ or ‘function orientated’. And lastly, the fourth theme is how discourse analysis treats speech and text as being organised rhetorically, and how this can direct attention.

 

A basic step by step method of conducting discourse analysis is given, which is extremely useful as it clearly shows what to do at each point. First it is necessary to formulate your research questions, as each text needs to be explored in its own right. Next, which to me seemed the most important part, was the transcript. A transcript is a detailed record which should not be neatened up, containing all verbalisations. To be of most use, it is important to make analytical notes whilst doing the transcription. When analysing the transcript you must make ‘the familiar strange’, therefore focusing on the organisation, construction, function and meaning of what is being said. Next is coding, apparently over time people will develop their own style of coding but the aim of coding is to organise interests. However, before this can be done you must be completely familiar with the transcript and the context of the transcript which is similar to the way you must immerse yourself when conducting ethnography. When coding it is important to look for a pattern to allow the formation of a tentative hypothesis. It is important to be sensitive to what is not said.

 

After I understood the process of how to conduct discourse analysis the author went through a case study. This involved showing a transcript and then talking through the process of how Gill would deconstruct it through discourse analysis. This made any queries I had about the process clear and allowed me to see how I would have interpreted what was said and what Gill believed the text said.

 

This reading was extremely helpful and I would now feel confident to try discourse analysis on my own. I may practice by getting a short transcript from a TV show or film and trying out the analysing methods. I feel this reading has not only increased and expanded my basic knowledge of discourse analysis but also it has sparked my interest in the importance of discourse. I now feel prepared for the task on discourse analysis for this module and hope that after some more practice I will feel confident conducting it in the future.