CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS AS A CRITICAL SOCIAL STUDY: NORMAN FAIRCLOUGH’S APPROACH

Abstract

The initial thesis of this paper is that critical discourse analysis (CDA), as a qualitative, critical, explanatory approach in exploration of social communication, represents a valuable way of researching contemporary social/political communication, and an indispensable complement to traditional social scientific techniques, which privilege positivist paradigm, quantitative research in social/political communication examinations. Consequently, the main purpose of this paper is to point out what the uniqueness of CDA’s scientific contribution to the study of society consists of, through observing the specificity of the theoretical and methodological framework, categories and analytical procedures of CDA in Norman Fairclough’s approach. The introductory part of the article provides a summary overview of the starting points, notions and tenets of CDA. In the following section the focus is on the analytical review of the different levels of Norman Fairclough’s theoretical framework and methodological procedures of CDA. The third, final part of the article is an attempt to provide an overall view of the importance of CDA in Fairclough’s approach for critical social study.