ABSTRACT
Discourse analysis is a term quite familiar to language teachers, especially teachers working with English majors in colleges or universities. However, traditionally, discourse analysis has been dealing with mostly, if not completely, “anecdotal reflections on written or oral texts” (Gee, 2009, p. 2). Having been a teacher of English as a foreign language (EFL) in China for over 25 years, I am not alien to such anecdotal reflections of discourse analysis. However, it was the first time that I had been struck by the concept of CDA while pursuing my doctoral study in the United States. The impact of CDA was so powerful that during my deciphering process of CDA, I experienced time travel back to my early years of schooling. Naturally, the focus of this chapter is on the impact of CDA, which led to my critical reflections as both a teacher and a learner.
