Studying Language, Producing Knowledge: An Introduction to Discourse Analysis

An Introduction to Discourse Analysis
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-119-86031-0
Verlag: Wiley John + Sons

Buch, Englisch, 192 Seiten, Format (B × H): 147 mm x 225 mm, Gewicht: 318 g

Language is more than a tool for communication—it is a powerful force that shapes how knowledge is produced and understood. Studying Language, Producing Knowledge offers a clear and comprehensive introduction to discourse studies, demonstrating how language operates as social action. Anne Mäntynen and Sari Pietikäinen trace the evolution of the field, combining classic theories with contemporary approaches to show how discourse constructs meaning, identities, and social realities.

Through an engaging blend of conceptual explanation and practical guidance, this textbook guides readers step by step through the process of analyzing discourse in real-world contexts. Each chapter provides key concepts, discussion points, and examples that help students move confidently from theory to research practice. Throughout the text, the authors highlight how discourse interacts with power, ideology, and change, and how the study of language can reveal the dynamics of knowledge production in today’s complex social world.

Studying Language, Producing Knowledge is written for undergraduate and postgraduate students across language, communication, and cultural studies, as well as sociology and anthropology. It is ideal for courses on discourse analysis, language and society, or qualitative research methods, and serves as an essential guide for anyone seeking to understand how language shapes the ways we know and act.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Mäntynen, Anne

Pietikäinen, Sari

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Textlinguistik, Diskursanalyse, Stilistik
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Kultur- und Sozialethnologie: Allgemeines
• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Soziolinguistik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements ix

Part I What is Discourse Studies? 1

1 Language as Social Action 3

1.1 Language and Society 4

1.2 Language as a Resource 7

Takeaways 10

Discussion Points 11

References 11

2 The Dynamic Concept of Discourse 12

2.1 What Is Discourse? 12

2.2 Discourse: Entanglements Between Language and Society 15

Takeaways 17

Discussion Points 18

References 18

3 Discourse in Contexts 19

3.1 Context Matters 20

3.2 Connecting Contexts 21

3.3 Situational Context 22

3.4 Discourse Practices 25

3.5 Multiplicity of Contexts 26

Takeaways 28

Discussion Points 28

References 29

4 Frameworks for Examining Discourse 30

4.1 Frameworks for Analysing Discourse Dimensions, Processes and Connections 31

4.2 Three- Dimensional Discourse: Norman Fairclough 32

4.3 Nexus Analysis 33

4.4 Critical Assemblage Analysis 34

4.5 Concepts as Thinking Tools 36

Takeaways 37

Discussion Points 37

References 37

Part II Key Concepts for Analysing Discourse 39

5 Discourse, Power and Knowledge 41

5.1 Discourse and Knowledge Production 42

5.2 Discursive Struggles: A Moment of Competing Discourses 43

5.3 Intertwined Knowledges 44

5.4 Categorisation as a Revaluing Resource 46

Takeaways 48

Discussion Points 49

References 49

6 Genre 51

6.1 Genre Matters 52

6.2 Functional Genre 53

6.3 The Power of the Genre 54

6.4 Genre Frameworks 56

6.5 Genre Norms 58

6.6 Genre as an Organising Power 59

Takeaways 61

Discussion Points 62

References 62

7 Regulating Discourse 64

7.1 Centripetal and Centrifugal Forces 65

7.2 Discourse Norms 65

7.3 Discourse Regulation 67

7.4 Discourse Regimes 69

7.5 AI as a Regulating Writing Machine 71

Takeaways 72

Discussion Points 73

References 73

8 Discourse Dynamics 74

8.1 Intertextuality 74

8.2 Genre Hybridity 78

8.3 Re/Deterritorialisation 81

Takeaways 82

Discussion Points 83

References 84

9 The Power of Language Ideologies 85

9.1 Language Ideological Debates: A Discourse Studies Approach 86

9.2 Language Ideology at the Service of Nation- Building 89

9.3 Multilingualism and Language Ideologies 90

9.4 Indexicality and Language Ideological Processes 92

Takeaways 96

Discussion Points 96

Note 96

References 97

Part III A Practical Guide to Discourse Analysis 101

10 Research Process in Discourse Studies 103

10.1 Qualitative Researching 103

10.2 Designing Your Discourse Research 105

10.3 Get Started with Your Discourse Research: The Plan 108

10.4 Doing Discourse Analysis: 20 Practical Steps 108

10.5 A Final Note 110

11 Getting Started with Your Research Project 111

11.1 Choosing a Topic 112

Checklist: Understanding and Analysing Context in Discourse Research 113

11.2 Research Questions as Research Strategy 114

11.3 Thinking Tools: Theories and Concepts 116

11.4 Concepts at Work 117

11.5 Finding Your Data 118

11.6 Collecting Your Data 119

11.7 Managing Your Data 120

References 121

12 Methods for Meaning: Doing Discourse Analysis 122

12.1 Methods in Discourse Studies 123

12.2 Analytical Process: Step by Step 124

12.2.1 Description 124

12.2.2 Interpretation 125

12.2.3 Explanation 127

12.3 Making Your Argument 127

References 128

13 Doing Discourse Analysis 129

Key Principle: Knowledge Is Discursively Constructed 131

Stage I: Getting Started 132

Step 1: Analysis Is a Process 132

Step 2: Analysis Requires Theoretical Understanding 138

Step 3: Analysis Requires a Selective Gaze 142

Step 4: Researcher Constructs the Data 144

Stage II: Doing Analysis and Making Connections 146

Step 5: Analysis Means Making Choices 146

Step 6: Analysis Is the Systematic Classification and Organisation of Observations 148

Step 7: Analysis Requires Conceptualisation and Abstraction 150

Step 8: Analysis Is Making Connections 152

Stage III: Producing New Knowledge 154

Step 9: Analysis Is Argumentation and Writing 154

Step 10: Analysis Is Participating in a Discussion 157

References 160

Bibliography 162

Index 168

Über Autor(innen)

ANNE MÄNTYNEN is Professor of Non-Fiction at the University of Helsinki. A leading scholar in discourse and genre studies, she examines how language ideologies and genres shape social practices and writing cultures. She served as Editor of Virittäjä.

SARI PIETIKÄINEN is Professor of Discourse Studies at the University of Jyväskylä and Research Fellow at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Her research explores the entanglements between discourse, power, and ecology in the Arctic, using critical assemblage analysis.