Text, Context, Pretext: Critical Issues in Discourse Analysis

by H. G. Widdowson

Overview

Written by a leading researcher in the field, this fascinating examination of the relations between grammar, text, and discourse is designed to provoke critical discussion on key issues in discourse analysis which are not always clearly identified and examined.

• Written by a leading researcher in the field
  
• Continues the enquiry into discourse analysis that Zellig Harris initiated 50 years ago, which raised a number of problematic issues that have remained unresolved ever since
  
• Introduces the notion of pretext as an additional factor in the general interpretative process
  
• Focuses attention specifically on the work of critical discourse analysis (CDA) in light of the issues discussed

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780631234524
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	10/29/2004
Series:	Language in Society , #10
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.05(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.59(d)

About the Author

H. G. Widdowson is Honorary Professor at the University of Vienna and Professor Emeritus at the University of London. He is renowned in the fields of applied linguistics and language teaching, and is the author of numerous books and articles, including Defining Issues in English Language Teaching (2002), Linguistics (1996), and Practical Stylistics: An Approach to Poetry (1992).

Table of Contents

Preface.

1. Text and discourse.

2. Text and grammar.

3. Context.

4. Context and Co-text.

5. Pretext.

6. Critical discourse analysis.

7. Text and corpus analysis.

8. Analysis and interpretation.

9. Approach and method.

10. Conclusion.

References.

Index of names.

Index of subjects.

Editorial Reviews

This book is beautifully written, clearly and cogently argued and illustrated with interesting and persuasive examples. It is excellent for use with students, who would otherwise struggle in a field replete with difficult, if not tortuous, key texts.” Malcolm Coulthard, University of Birmingham

“It is unusual in discourse analysis to find a book as thought-provoking or as wide-ranging as this. Any student of pragmatics, discourse analysis (critical or otherwise), text linguistics or corpus linguistics will need to consider carefully what Henry Widdowson has to say; his positions are too well argued to be simply ignored.”
Michael Hoey, University of Liverpool

"Text, Context, Pretext covers much ground in discourse analysis ranging from its early precursors (e.g. B Malinowski, Z. Harris) to its contemporary practitioners. The notion of pretext provides a new approach to the discussion of critical issues in (critical) discourse analysis."
Journal of Sociolinguistics

"The Volume, greatly ro its credit, raises the awareness of various critical issues which need to be considered when embarking on research in Critical Discourse Analysis."
Discourse & Society

From the Publisher