New Political and Communication Agenda for Political Discourse Analysis: Critical Reflections on Critical Discourse Analysis and Political Discourse Analysis

Authors

  • Jiayu Wang National University of Singapore

Keywords:

critical discourse analysis (CDA), political discourse analysis (PDA), political communication, language, politics, communication

Abstract

This article advocates using theories and approaches in political communication to advance the agenda of political discourse analysis (PDA) that uses the approaches in critical discourse analysis (CDA). I first review the development in the research of PDA and criticisms against CDA and PDA, along with my reflections on these criticisms. I also discuss how basic concepts and dimensions in political communication can be used to advance PDA. In conclusion, I argue that traditional approaches to PDA center too much on Marxist or post-Marxist conflict theories and on linguistic description and interpretation. They fail to adequately explain political issues as CDA does to social issues. Incorporating theories and approaches in political communication can “demystify” PDA from its status quo toward a discipline that addresses political problems in communication. 

Author Biography

Jiayu Wang, National University of Singapore

Jiayu Wang is a PhD candidate in the Department of English Language and Literature, National University of Singapore. He has published several papers in international peer-reviewed journals including Social Semiotics, Journal of Language and Politics and Critical Arts: South-North Cultural and Media Studies.Email: wjyccnu@gmail.com His recent publications include: Jiayu Wang (2015): Multimodal narratives in SIA's “Singapore Girl” TV advertisements – from branding with femininity to branding with provenance and authenticity?, Social Semiotics, DOI: 10.1080/10350330.2015.1092277Wang, J. (2015) Book Review: SHI-XU, Chinese discourse studies. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014, 223 + x pp., £63.00(hdbk), 978-1-137-36503-3. Language and Intercultural Communication 15 (3)Wang ,J. (2016) "Narrative Mediatisation of the "Chinese Dream"in Chinese and American Media", Journal of Language and Politics, 15 (1)Wang, J. (2014). Criticising images: critical discourse analysis of visual semiosis in picture news, Critical Arts: South-North Cultural and Media Studies, 28 (2), 264-286.Wang, J. (2012) Critical Multimodal Analysis of the Picture News “The Dalai Lama at home” (In Chinese), Journal of International Communication, 210 (4), 51-57.Wang, J & Liao, M (2010), A Goal-principle Analytical Model for Legal Argumentation (In Chinese), Contemporary Rhetoric Studies, 5(161), 79-86.

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Published

2016-06-15

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Articles