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power relationships which are frequently hidden, and thereby to derive results which are of
practical relevance” (2001, p. 15).
In an article that broadly criticizes CDA, Tyrwhitt-Drake, using critiques of Flowerdew as its
foundation, writes that the critical component is “…faced with the sometimes unpalatable
fact that a text is typically open to multiple interpretations, [and] that judgement needs to be
exercised when deciding which interpretation to make” (1999, p. 1083). This project is
strengthened by having a variety of data sources from the same era to cross reference.
Flowerdew, in response to Tyrwhitt-Drake’s criticism of his work, claims that when multiple
interpretations are possible, “judgement does…need to be exercised” (1999, p. 1091). This
dispute between Tyrwhitt-Drake and Flowerdew points to the need to ensure that the critical
component of analysis is clearly articulated, with underpinning ideologies made explicit.
In addition, Schegloff writes that, “what gets addressed under the rubric ‘discourse’ is so
varied…” (1997, p. 167). Therefore, identifying a common definition for discourse is
important, due to the potentially conflicting understandings held of it, depending on the
context of its use, the perspective of the researcher using it and the purposes of a particular
study. This varied use of the term of discourse, is exacerbated by Foucault’s describing of it
as:
Instead of gradually reducing the rather fluctuating meaning of the word ‘discourse’,
I believe I have in fact added to its meanings: treating it sometimes as the general
domain of all statements, sometimes as an individualized group of statements, and
sometimes as a regulated practice that accounts for a number of statements. (as cited
in Jaworski and Coupland, 2006, p. 2)
Discourse, in terms of its meaning within CDA looks at social aspects of language use, seeing
discourse “…as a communicative event, including conversational interaction, written texts, as
well as associated gestures, facework, typographical layout, images and any other ‘semiotic’
or multimedia dimension of signification” (Meyer, 2001, p. 20) Furthermore, discourse
“…start[s] with the assumption that language use is always social and the analyses of
language occur above the unit of a sentence or clause…” (Rogers, 2004, p. 5). Regarding the
interconnectedness the term discourse has with embedded or even ‘hidden’ aspects of power,
Kincheloe writes, “discourse cannot be removed from power relations and the struggle to
create particular meanings and legitimate specific voices” (Kincheloe, 2004, p. 7). Combined
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