In his article titled Critical discourse analysis and the
marketization of public discourse: the universities, Norman Fairclough notes
that "viewing language as a social practice implies 'that it is a mode of
action and also, in a dialectical relationship with other facets of 'the
social' - it is socially shaped, but also socially shaping.' He continues by
stating that 'it is vital that critical discourse analysis explore the tension
between these two sides of language use, the socially shaped and the socially
constitutive, rather than operating one sidedly from a structuralist
position.
When I think of this in practical terms, I think of the
nature of words and text. The very act
of uttering a word or expressing a gesture places an immediate onus on the
recipient to respond. To say hi or to smile, for example, illicits an immediate
response from the receiver, and is interpreted as impolite if it does not occur. The very structure that words were created to
exist within requires the engagement of more than one individual, and has too
many unspoken codes (and expectations) to be considered neutral. Even if one could make the argument that
content can be neutral, and Fairclough gives some examples in his article, the
context isn’t. Exchange words with
discourse, and the speaker and or content producer, whether it be through text
or through broadcast, is expanding the same idea, that the ideas and gestures
articulated will generate some sort of individual or societal response, if not physical, then
cognitive, if not immediate, then gradual.
Fairclough notes that connection between text and social
practice is seen as being mediated by discourse practice: on the one hand,
processes of text production and interpretation are shaped by (and help shape)
the nature of the social practice. He
adds that there are ‘cues’ laces in the text or discourse on how the social
practice should play out.
Reference
Norman, F. (1993). Critical discourse analysis and the marketization of public discourse: the universities. Discourse Society, 4, 133.
-Mandissa Arlain
No comments:
Post a Comment