ABSTRACT
In this chapter and the next, I shall present a procedure for critical discourse analysis, based upon these three stages. This chapter deals with description, and Chapter 6 with interpretation and explanation. This division of labour accords with the contrast I drew in Chapter 2 between description on the one hand, and interpretation and explanation on the other, in terms of the sorts of 'analysis' they involve. And there are corresponding differences in the organization of the two chapters: the sort of analysis associated with the description stage allows this chapter to be organized as a mini reference manual, whereas Chapter 6 is more discursive. However, as I pointed out in Chapter 2, there is a sense in which description presupposes interpretation, so this contrast, while convenient in procedural terms, should not be given too much weight. Readers will also find that some topics (including speech acts and presupposition) which might be expected in the description
The present chapter is written at an introductory level for people who do not have extensive backgrounds in language study. It is organized around ten main questions (and some sub-questions) which can be asked of a text; this will I hope make it relatively easy for readers to assimilate and use the framework. Under each question, readers will find analytical categories or concepts briefly introduced, and exemplified. I have presented the procedure in a purely expository way, without examples for readers to work on. There will be an opportunity in Chapter 7 to apply the procedure to an extended example. Let me stress that the procedure should not be treated as holy writ - it is a guide and not a blueprint. In some cases, readers using it may find that some parts are overly detailed or even irrelevant for their purposes. In other cases, they (especially those with a background in language study) may find it insufficiently detailed and in need of supplementation - the references at the end of the chapter should help. The set of textual features included is highly selective, containing only those which tend to be most significant for critical analysis.
