ABSTRACT

Discourse analysis (DA), a qualitative research method, is an umbrella term for a number of different approaches to the study of language. Potter and Wetherell (1987) note that the term ‘discourse’ can mean ‘all forms of spoken interaction, formal and informal, and written texts of all kinds’ (p. 7). Some have argued that there is a danger that this is overly restrictive and have used DA to study ‘texts’ which are neither written or spoken (Parker & Bolton Discourse Network, 1999).