What is Research For?

Problems with some approaches

  • Some linguistically-oriented approaches tend to start in the wrong place

    • theorise the text linguistically, but then make claims about the social

      • eg Fairclough's lack of principles of recognition for 'discourse' or 'genre'

      • eg Kress: 'sign' is motivated by social position, but neither motivation nor social position is theorised

  • Nothing about 'mode' or the 'medium' necessarily suggests (or, far less, produces) changes in power:

    • you can read the IoE website (or the paper prospectus) however you like, but you cannot change the courses or students' grades

from: authority

to: pedagogy and exchange

Fairclough, N. (1995). Media Discourse. London, Edward Arnold.