Abstract
In both the natural sciences and social sciences, discourse analysis offers distinctive insights into the language patterns of texts as well as the surrounding social and cultural contexts (Paltridge, 2021: 1). The Routledge Handbook of Discourse Analysis, edited by Michael Handford and James Paul Gee, invites leading scholars in virtually all subfields of discourse analysis to provide exemplars of their respective research. To well reflect the integrity, diversity, and dynamicity in discourse analysis, the multifaceted analysis in this handbook elaborates on key topics, various theories, different approaches, latest developments and trends in discourse analysis, therefore not only furnishing explanations for evolving sociocultural discourses but also unveiling the implied information in language or what is left unsaid, as well as the reasons behind the unspoken aspects.
The structure and content of this handbook have been modified in this second edition. It consists of forty-two chapters in eight sections, with two new sections on Gender, race and sexualities and Social media and online discourse compared to the first edition in 2012. In the introductory part, Handford and Gee initially expound upon the essence of ‘discourse analysis’ as the analysis of language and social practices (p. 5). This clarification assists readers in accurately positioning the book and paves the way for their subsequent understanding of the tasks, scope, and significance of discourse analysis.
Part I consists of 12 chapters devoted to discourse analysis approaches, serving as a great starting point for newcomers to this research field. Nine of these chapters are retained from the first edition, potentially acquainting discourse analysis scholars with approaches including Critical discourse analysis, Discursive psychology, Conversation analysis, Interactional sociolinguistics and discourse analysis, Discourse-oriented ethnography, Discourse analysis and linguistic anthropology, Corpus-based discourse analysis, Multimodal discourse analysis, Systemic functional linguistics. It is imperative to underscore the notable inclusion of new approaches, particularly Evaluation and discourse analysis by Theo van Leeuwen and Joshua Han, highlighting the evaluation as a technology of power. Furthermore, Shi-xu’s Culturalist approach to discourse provides a model infused with cultural consciousness and criticality, dedicated to challenging cultural hegemony both locally and globally. Additionally, Zoltán Kövecses’ extended conceptual metaphor theory contributes to a more nuanced treatment of metaphorical meanings in discourse.
Part II and Part VI, both original components of the second edition, offer insights into how discourse analysis engages with and responds to the foci in the ever-changing contemporary world. The first four chapters of Part II, cover Gender and discourse analysis, Queer linguistics and discourse analysis, Intersectionality and discourse analysis with a focus on Black feminism, as well as Discourse, gender and professional communication. In the final chapter of this part, Teun A. van Dijk explores discourses on racism and anti-racism, serving as a reminder of the ongoing inadequacies in addressing this topic within curricula. Part VI aligns with current technological advancements and the prevalence of social media, with the theme of Social media and online discourse. It includes Social media and discourse analysis by Rodney H. Jones, followed by Alexandra Georgakopoulou’s exploration of online small stories. The third chapter deals with Online identity and discourse analysis, where the authors discuss the practical challenges and ethical considerations researchers face concerning data protection issues.
The commencement of Part III is marked by Joanna Thornborrow’s articulate exposition of the theoretical framework of narrative analysis. Next, Peter K. W. Tan conducts an analysis of literary discourse and proposes three potential future directions for interested researchers to further explore. Following this, David R. Olson explores Narrative, cognition and rationality, drawing a distinction between narrative and paradigmatic discourse. In Part IV, Genre and register, Douglas Biber shows us how to conduct a multi-dimensional (MD) analysis of register variation through a mini-corpus case study of email messages. This is followed by David Rose’s Genre, register and discourse in systemic functional linguistics, Charles Bazerman’s Genre as social action, and Vijay K. Bhatia’s Critical genre analysis of professional discourse. Part V, Spoken discourse, begins with Winnie Cheng and Phoenix Lam’s Discourse on prosody in discourse, examining the communicative value of four systems of discourse intonation. Michael McCarthy and Paula Buttery explore Lexis in spoken discourse through a quantified comparison of spoken and written corpora. Paul J. Hopper then describes Emergent grammar and offers insights into its applications and extensions, particularly in second language pedagogy.
At this point, readers may be curious about how the aforementioned discourse analysis theories or methods can be applied to reality. The final two parts of this book focus on addressing this question in the context of educational and institutional applications. Part VII comprises four chapters, beginning with James Paul Gee’s Discourse and ‘the new literacy studies’, exemplifying foundational work in NLS with three specific examples. This is followed by Amy Bik-May Tsui’s Ethnography and classroom discourse, and Education and bilingualism by Karen Thompson, Soria Colomer and Kenji Hakuta, as well as Ken Hyland’s English for academic purpose and discourse analysis. Part VIII attaches significance to the indispensable role of discourse analysis in research across various fields, including advertising, news media, healthcare, law, ethnicity and humor in the workplace, politics, policy, and interculturalism. However, as many authors, including Gavin Brookes, Kevin Harvey, and Svenja Adolphs, have pointed out, a major challenge encountered in these fields is methodological in nature. The key breakthrough lies in formulating methodological approaches that are well-suited to the distinctive characteristics of each domain. From my perspective, the discourse-historical approach (DHA) proposed by Ruth Wodak (Chapter 40) for political discourse analysis can be considered a notable exemplary model.
This handbook stands out for its extensive coverage, with each chapter concluding by recommending further readings, thereby aiding readers in pursuing more in-depth exploration. Particularly noteworthy is the identification of research gaps, challenges, and promising future directions by many authors within their chapters, offering valuable guidance for researchers in their respective fields. Besides, this handbook could benefit from minor improvements in both structure and content. Firstly, this handbook could enhance its coherence through a more structured logical thread, as the current lack of a clear order results in some chapters appearing applicable to two different parts. Secondly, this collection can further enrich its content by incorporating cutting-edge interdisciplinary perspectives, such as discourse in the language of the law that extends beyond the realms of statutory law, courtroom language, legal judgments, and written contracts, as discussed in Chapter 38. It also involves ‘understanding law and its use in the context of wider discourses in societies’ (Cheng and Machin, 2023).
Overall, this book serves as an invaluable and insightful resource for readers of this journal, the discourse analysis community, and researchers interested in the interdisciplinary aspects of discourse analysis. Its contemporary focus on the approaches, theories, and applications of discourse analysis also foreshadows its enduring influence on the fields of linguistics and social sciences.