Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of discourse that views language as a form of social practice. It is a research method for studying written or spoken language in relation to its social context. CDA combines critique of discourse and explanation of how language is used in discourse to reveal the larger cultural narratives that these connotations support.
Some key features of CDA include:
- Object of analysis: CDA can analyze verbal, visual, or verbal and visual texts.
- Dimensions of discourse: CDA consists of three inter-related processes of analysis tied to three inter-related dimensions of discourse: text, discourse practice, and social practice.
- Reading against the text: CDA suggests strategies that enable a deliberate move to read against the text to counterbalance reading with the text.
CDA is used in many humanities and social science disciplines, including linguistics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, and cultural studies. It is applied to any instance of written or oral language, as well as non-verbal aspects of communication such as tone and gestures.
CDA emphasizes the contextual meaning of language and focuses on the social aspects of communication and the ways people use language to achieve specific effects, such as to build trust, to create doubt, to evoke emotions, or to manage conflict. It examines the form, structure, and content of discourse, from the grammar and wording employed in its creation to its reception and interpretation by a wider audience.
When conducting CDA, researchers usually begin with a text and try to establish hypotheses about discourses at work in society. They then try to confirm or disconfirm these hypotheses by looking for other related texts.
Overall, CDA is a useful research method for analyzing language use in social contexts and revealing the larger cultural narratives that these connotations support.
