An Introduction to Discourse Analysis,
Theory and Method by: James Paul Gee
“If you only read one book on discourse analysis, this is the one to read. If you’re a specialist, you’ll find much to
enjoy here as well. Gee’s book shows us that discourse analysis is about a lot more than linguistic study; it will help
us all to see how to keep from, as he says, ‘getting physically, socially, culturally, or morally “bitten” by the world’.”
Ron Scollon,
Georgetown University, USA
James Paul Gee presents here his unique, integrated approach to discourse analysis: the analysis of spoken and
written language as it is used to enact social and cultural perspectives and identities. Assuming no prior knowledge of linguistics, James Paul Gee presents both a theory of language-in-use, as well as a method of research. This method is made up of a set of “tools of inquiry” and strategies for using them. Clearly structured and written in a highly accessible style, the book presents these tools of inquiry alongside the theory of language-in-use. They are then placed in the framework of an overall approach to discourse analysis. Finally, an extended example of discourse analysis is presented using some of the tools and strategies developed earlier in the book. Perspectives from a variety of approaches and disciplines – including applied linguistics, education, psychology, anthropology, and communication – are incorporated to help students and scholars from a range of backgrounds formulate their own views on discourse and engage in their own discourse analyses.
James Paul Gee is the Tashia Morgridge Professor of Reading at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. His previous publications include
School Linguistics and Literacies, The Social Mind and The New Work Order (with Glynda Hull and Colin Lankshear).
