Commitment and criticality: Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis evaluated

Abstract

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is an established interdisciplinary approach to texts in terms of their wider social and political significance, and owes its prominence, in part, to one of its most influential practitioners, Norman Fairclough. This paper examines the theoretical foundations of Fairclough's CDA and its ways of working with texts. It summarizes and evaluates arguments put by critics of CDA, including Widdowson and Stubbs. It also shows that a political perspective antithetical to Fairclough's can be supported by a mode of textual commentary similar to his own. Overall, the paper argues that Fairclough focuses largely on neo‐liberal discourses; draws on linguistics merely for its metalinguistic terminology; and offers linguistic descriptions subservient to political motivations and judgments. L'Analyse de Discours Critique (CDA) est une approche interdisciplinaire aux textes en termes de signification sociale et politique. L'influence de CDA provient, en partie, d'un de ses praticiens les plus influents, Norman Fairclough (Fairclough 1989; 1995; 2003). Cet article examine les fondations théoriques de CDA de Fairclough et ses façons de travail avec les textes. Il récapitule et évalue des arguments mis de côté par les critiques de CDA, en incluant Widdowson (1998; 2004) et Stubbs (1997). Il montre aussi qu'une perspective politique antithétique à Fairclough peut être soutenue par une mode de commentaire textuel semblable à celle de Fairclough soi‐même. En général l'article soutient que Fairclough se concentre en grande partie sur des discours néo‐libéraux; qu'il emploie comme source la linguistique simplement pour sa terminologie metalinguistique; et qu'il offre les descriptions linguistiques qui sont serviles aux motivations et jugements politiques.

The power of language on patient‐centredness: linguistic devices in the dietetic notes of patient records

“…; Halliday ). However, this criticism has also been questioned by linguists, asking for evidence of such consequences (Poole ). We would like to argue that when used in the patient record, these devices, together with devices like functionalization, fragmentary clauses and evidential markers, have a clear function of deleting both the patient and the dietitian as individuals from the record.…”

“…Critical discourse analysts have earlier criticized the use of agent-deleting devices such as nominalization and passive verbs for maintaining power relations through the omission of information (Fowler et al 1979;Halliday 1993). However, this criticism has also been questioned by linguists, asking for evidence of such consequences (Poole 2010). We would like to argue that when used in the patient record, these devices, together with devices like functionalization, fragmentary clauses and evidential markers, have a clear function of deleting both the patient and the dietitian as individuals from the record.…”

Gender in Secondary Students' Creative Writing: Changes in Representation Over Time

“…These complexities include the beliefs about gender existing in communities and media beyond the immediate schooling environment, and the frequency with which teachers are products of the same or earlier versions of the system in which they work; a system in which they have necessarily experienced degrees of success and validation. This fifth step is considered of particular importance in the light of the criticisms of CDA's rigour, which have been raised by scholars such as Widdowson (1995Widdowson ( , 2004, and Poole (2010). Both these authors offer specific and detailed criticism of the CDA of Fairclough (and of CDA in general) for a lack of consistency in its principles and definitions, and for a failure to provide procedures of analysis and interpretation which are transparent and replicable (Poole, 2010, p. 148;Widdowson, 2004, p. 164).…”

“…Thus the Faircloughian approach to text analysis was selected for this study's investigation because it provided a coherent and purposeful political and reading practice approach to the study's combination of linguistic and social research questions. At the same time, the study also seeks to be responsive to criticisms of CDA's rigour raised by scholars such as Widdowson (1995Widdowson ( , 2004; Toolan (1997);and Poole (2010). (See subsections 4.1.3.a and 4.5.2).…”

“…Fairclough is widely acknowledged as one of CDA's most influential practitioners (Poole, 2010). His own definition of CDA is as:…”