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3. Systemic functional grammar Critical discourse analysis [Autosaved]

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3. Systemic functional grammar Critical discourse analysis [Autosaved]

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theophilusoke92
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© © All Rights Reserved
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ENG 405: DISCOURSE ANALYSIS II

Topic:
Systemic Functional Grammar &
Critical Discourse Analysis

 Dr Ayo Osisanwo,
Department of English,
 Faculty of Arts
 _____________________________
 UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN
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Objectives

After this class, students should be able to:

explain the focus of Systemic Functional Grammar


(SFG);
identify the basic tents of SFG;
explain the focus of Critical Discourse Analysis(CDA);
list the different models of CDA;
identify the basic tenets of CDA
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What is systemic functional grammar?

Refer to:

Osisanwo, Wale & Osisanwo, Ayo. 2020. The


Hallidayan systemic functional grammar.
Interrogating gender through third world dialectics:
a multi-disciplinary approach: a festschrift in honour
of Yetunde O. O. Akorede. In Y. Ogunsiji, C. Adebiyi, A.
O. Olajuyigbe, G. Dare, R. Adebile and O. M. Olaleye.
Eds. pp 393-418.
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Critical Discourse Analysis


Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is an innovative,
multidisciplinary approach, which tackles a number of
important social issues. It draws on many of the methodological
tools of more traditional fields such as critical linguistics, text
linguistics and sociolinguistics (Osisanwo, 2011).

Norman Fairclough’s approach or model draws upon the


Hallidayan systemic functional linguistics (SFL) theory; his
concern with language, discourse and power in society allows
the integration of sociological concepts as well.

CDA researchers do not merely ‘simply appeal to ‘context’ to


explain what is said or written or how it is interpreted’, rather,
they have come to see language as a form of social practice
(Fairclough, 1992:47).
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Critical Discourse Analysis


Discussions on the origin and developments of CDA have often centred
around the quartet of Norman Fairclough, Ruth Wodak, Teun van Dijk
and Paul Chilton (Blommaert, 2005: 21).

Another major scholar whose propositions and initial theory have


greatly encouraged the development of this theory is Roger Fowler, the
proponent of Critical Linguistics. CDA has been viewed as an offshoot
of Critical Linguistics.

According to van Dijk (2000:353) CDA is ‘a type of discourse analytical


research that primarily studies the way social power abuse, dominance
and inequality are enacted, reproduced and resisted by text and talk in
the social and political context’.

Van Dijk’s position here shows that CDA sets out to resist social
inequality and expose the social ills, which possibly pervade or
seemingly affect the human psyche.
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Critical Discourse Analysis


CDA is a type of discourse analytical study that primarily focuses on ‘opaque as
well as transparent structural relationships of dominance, discrimination,
power and control as manifested in language’ (Wodak, 1995:204).

CDA takes into account how issues are manifested through language. It studies
the way texts and talks are used in enacting, reproducing and resisting social
power abuse, dominance and inequality (van Dijk, 2000).

Its domain of concern mainly centres on social and political issues. Wodak
(2001:2) also says CDA is mainly concerned with analyzing people as well as
transparent structural relations of dominance, discrimination, power and
control as manifested in language.

According to Fairclough (1995b), CDA is the study of often-opaque


relationships of causality and determinism between:
(a) discursive practices, events and texts, and
(b) wider social and cultural structures.
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Critical Discourse Analysis


Fairclough and Wodak (1997:271-80) give a summary
of the main tenets of CDA to include:

CDA addresses social problems


Power relations are discursive
Discourse constitutes society and culture
Discourse works ideologically
Discourse is historical
The link between text and society is mediated
Discourse analysis is interpretive and explanatory, and
Discourse is a form of social action.
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Critical Discourse Analysis


Fairclough (1989:24-6) identifies and describes three stages
which are salient in CDA practice:
description stage,
interpretation stage, and
explanation stage.

At the description stage, the formal properties of a text are


considered.
At the interpretation stage, the relationship between text and
interaction is the central concern, that is, getting to see the text
as a very useful resource in the process of interpretation.
The explanation stage looks into the relationship between
interaction and social context, with emphasis on the processes
involved in production and interpretation vis-à-vis their social
effects.
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Critical Discourse Analysis


The three stages of CDA try to ask:

How is a text produced?


What are the properties put together in producing it?
What informs its production?
Does it have any affinity with the socio-cultural setting
in which it is produced?
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Critical Discourse Analysis


CDA and Social Theory

In relation to social theory, CDA sees discourse as a


social phenomenon (Blommaert, 2005) and works in
two distinct directions. First, it has interest in the
theories of power and ideology, hence, it borrows from
the ideas of Michael Foucault (1975, 1982), Antonio
Gramsci (1971), with bias for hegemony.

Second, it has interest in making attempt to overcome


structuralist determinism, hence it borrows mainly
from Anthony Gidden’s (1984) theory of stucturation.
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Critical Discourse Analysis


Central Notions in CDA

Certain notions are central to the whole idea of CDA. Some of


them are: dominance, hegemony, ideology, class, gender, race,
discrimination, interests, reproduction, institutions, ‘social
structure and social order’ (van Dijk 2000:354).

CDA focuses primarily on social problems and political issues


and the way issues relating to power and dominance in society
are enacted, confirmed, challenged or reproduced by language,
or more specifically discourse structures.

Van Dijk (1993:249) asserts that CDA tries to answer questions


on the relations between discourse and power, dominance,
social inequality and the discourse analysts’ position in the
relationships.
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Critical Discourse Analysis


SHARING:

Share papers where CDA models are applied with the


students.

Application of:

Norman Fairclough

Van Dijk

Ruth Wodak

Van Leeuwen

Etc.
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Later Development of CDA Model


Discourse-Historical Approach (Ruth Wodak
and Martin Reisigl)
Socio-cognitive Approach (Teun van Dijk)
Social Actors Approach (Theo van Leeuwen)
Dialectical–Relational Approach (Norman
Fairclough)
Corpus-Linguistics Approach (Gerlinde
Mautner)
Dispositive Analysis (Siegfried Jäger and
Florentine Maier)
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Further Reading
(Available in hard copies at the University Bookshop)
Odebunmi, Akin. 2006. Meaning in English: an Introduction. Ogbomoso: Critical Sphere.
Odebunmi, Akin, Arua E. Arua (eds). 2009. Language, Gender and Politics: Essays in
Honour of Yisa Kehinde Yusuf. Lagos: Centre for Black African Arts and
Civilisation.
Odebunmi, Akin, Osisanwo, Ayo, Bodunde, Helen, Ekpe, Stella (Eds.) (2016) Grammar,
Applied Linguistics and Society: A Festschrift for Wale Osisanwo @ 70. Ile-Ife:
Obafemi Awolowo University Press. 771pp.
Ogunsiji, A., Kehinde, A. and Odebunmi, A. (eds). 2013. Language, Literature and
Discourse. Stirling-Horden Publishers, i-555.
Olateju, M, et.al. 2014. Multimodal Analysis. Ife: OAU Press.
Osisanwo, Wale. 2008. Introduction to Discourse Analysis & Pragmatics. Lagos: Femolus-
Fetop.
Osisanwo, Ayo, Bamigbade, W., Egbunike, Tella, A. 2020. Applied linguistics, linguistic
variations and English usage in the Nigerian context: A festschrift for Moses Alo.
Ibadan: University Press Limited.xviii+670pp.
Osisanwo, Ayo, Olaosun, Ibrahim and Odebode, Idowu. 2018. Discourse-Stylistics,
Sociolinguistics and Society: A Festschrift for Ayo Ogunsiji. Ibadan: Stirling-Horden.
Oyeleye, Lekan (ed). 2004. Language and Discourse in Society. Ibadan: Hope Publications.
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Further Reading
(Available in soft and hard copies online)
Ariel, Mira. 2010. Defining Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Archer, Dawn and Peter Grundy (eds). 2011 The Pragmatics Reader. London and New
York: Routledge.
Brown, Penelope and Stephen C. Levinson. 1987. Politeness: Some Universals in Language
Usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chimombo, M. And Roseberry, R. 1998. The Power of Discourse: an Introduction to
Discourse Analysis. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Fairclough, Norman. 1989. Language and Power. London: Longman.
Kecskes, I. 2014. Intercultural pragmatics. New York: Oxford University Press
Levinson, Stephen. 1979. “Activity Types and Language”. Linguistics, 17, 365-399
Mayr, Andrea and David Machin. 2012. The Language of Crime and Deviance: An
Introduction to Critical Linguistic Analysis in Media and Popular Culture. London/New
York: Continuum.
Mey, Jacob. 2001. Pragmatics: An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
Ostman, j. and Verschueren, J. 2015. Handbook of Pragmatics. Amsterdam: John
Benjamins.
Sperber, Dan & Wilson, Deirdre. 1986. Relevance: communication and cognition. Oxford:
Blackwell.
16

Bye

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