Critical Discourse Analysis

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of discourse, which views language as a form of social practice and focuses on the ways social and political domination is reproduced by text and talk. Critical discourse analysis is founded on the idea that there is unequal access to linguistic and social resources, resources that are controlled institutionally. The patterns of access to discourse and communicative events is one essential element for CDA.

Background
CDA developed within several disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, such as critical linguistics. There is a three-dimensional framework for studying discourse, where the aim is to map three separate forms of analysis onto one another: analysis of (spoken or written) language texts, analysis of discourse practice (processes of text production, distribution and consumption) and analysis of discursive events as instances of sociocultural practice.

In addition to linguistic theory, the approach draws from social theory &mdash; and contributions from Karl Marx, Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Jürgen Habermas, Michel Foucault and Pierre Bourdieu &mdash; in order to examine ideologies and power relations involved in discourse. Language connects with the social through being the primary domain of ideology, and through being both a site of, and a stake in, struggles for power. Ideology has been called the basis of the social representations of groups, and there is a sociocognitive interface between social structures and discourse structures. The historical dimension in critical discourse studies, also plays an important role.

Methodology
Although CDA is sometimes mistaken to represent a 'method' of discourse analysis, it is generally agreed upon that any explicit method in discourse studies, the humanities and social sciences may be used in CDA research, as long as it is able to adequately and relevantly produce insights into the way discourse reproduces (or resists) social and political inequality, power abuse or domination. That is, CDA does not limit its analysis to specific structures of text or talk, but systematically relates these to structures of the sociopolitical context.

Notable academics
Notable writers include Norman Fairclough, Paul Chilton, Teun A. van Dijk, Ernesto Laclau, Theo Van Leeuwen, Siegfried Jäger, Christina Schäffner, James Paul Gee, Ruth Wodak, Roger Fowler, Gunther Kress, Mary Talbot, Lilie Chouliaraki and Robert Hodge.