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Block 4 Unit 3 Discourse Analysis

1. What do you understand by the term- discourse analysis?

Discourse analysis is the study of language in use, examining patterns and functions in communication.

2. Explain different assumptions, theories and approaches of discourse analysis.

Assumptions include that language is socially constructed and shapes our understanding of the world. Theories include post-structuralism, feminism, and social constructionism, and there are many approaches such as critical discourse analysis and conversation analysis.

3. How can you say that the discourse analysis is a systematic process? Give your answer with respect to the steps of discourse analysis.

Discourse analysis is systematic as it involves data collection, familiarization, identification of themes, and analyzing patterns of language.

4. Explain the concept and significance of critical discourse analysis.

Critical discourse analysis (CDA) examines how power structures are maintained through language. It looks at the relationship between language, ideology and social practices.

5. Explain the concept and significance of content analysis.

Content analysis is a research method used to summarise any form of content after a deep study of the actual content, which enables a researcher to evaluate and understand situations more objectively. Content analysis is a type of discourse analysis.

Here's a breakdown of the concept and its significance, based on the provided sources:

Concept of Content Analysis

• Content analysis aims to remove much of the subjectivity from summaries and to detect trends more easily.
• It is a method used in summarising any form of content after having a deep study of the actual content, which enables the researcher to more objectively evaluate and understand the situation.
• It is a systematic, objective, and quantitative description of the manifest content of communications.
• It involves selecting content for analysis, preparing the content for coding, counting and weighing the coded content, and drawing conclusions based on the weighing.
• Content analysis often uses numbers and percentages.
• Content analysis can be applied to both media content (such as print, broadcasts and recordings) and audience content (such as questionnaires, interviews, group discussions and letters to the editors).

Significance of Content Analysis

• Objectivity: It helps in removing much of the subjectivity from summaries.
• Trend detection: It helps in detecting trends in an easier and simpler manner.
• Links between cause and effect: Content analysis enables the researcher to make links between causes (e.g., program content) and effects (e.g., audience size).
• Improvement of programming: It can be used to evaluate and improve the programming of the media world.
• Awareness: Content analysis helps in increasing awareness and summarising various notes or documentaries that focus on a specific issue.
• Inferences of causes: It can aid in making inferences about the causes.

In essence, content analysis is a method that moves beyond subjective summaries to provide a more objective and quantifiable understanding of the content of communication. It is useful for identifying trends, establishing cause-and-effect relationships, and improving the quality of communication content.

Important Points

1. Discourse analysis identifies the relationships which exist between sentences or utterances.
2. The term ‘discourse analysis’ has its origin since 1960’s.
3. The discourse analysis may be in form of a description of historical incidents or any kind of social activity like conversation.
4. Critical or Discourse Analysis is nothing more than a critical reading and interpretation of a problem or text.
5. The theorists of modernism were guided by logics and systems of rationality.
6. The term ‘discourse analysis’ has its origin since the 1960s.
7. The postmodern theorists examined and investigated the variety of experience of individuals and groups.
8. Critical or Discourse Analysis is nothing more than a deconstructive reading and interpretation of a problem or text.
9. The approach also assumes that, reality is socially constructed. It is assumed in a scientific research that ‘reality’ can be categorised.
10. Discourse analysis enables us to understand the conditions behind a specific “problem”.
11. On basis of the discourse analysis of the information, the findings can be summarized and concluded.
12. Once the relevant information is collected, the researchers needs to judge/ examine the value of the collected data.
13. Discourse analysis leads to meaningful interpretation of the people and the world.
14. Discourse Analysis can be applied to any text or problem. 
15. The method of CDA allows the researcher to act as an “active agent”.
16. Language can be used as an interdisciplinary tool.
17. The method of discourse analysis requires proper format or guideline.