5th Edition

An Introduction to Discourse Analysis Theory and Method

By James Paul Gee Copyright 2025
290 Pages 3 Color Illustrations
by Routledge

290 Pages 3 Color Illustrations
by Routledge

290 Pages 3 Color Illustrations
by Routledge

This bestselling textbook provides a comprehensive guide to conducting discourse analysis. The book outlines Gee’s approach, which involves examining how language is used in context to construct meaning, identities, relationships, and social practices. The theoretical framework is built around seven "building tasks" that language performs: significance, practices, identities, relationships,... Read more

Chapter 1:             INTRODUCTION

Chapter 2:             WHAT IS DISCOURSE ANALYSIS?

Chapter 3:             BUILDING TASKS

Chapter 4:             TOOLS OF ENQUIRY AND DISCOURSE

Chapter 5:             SOCIAL LANGUAGES, CONVERSATIONS,

                              AND INTERTEXTUALITY

Chapter 6:             CONVERSATIONS AND INTERTEXTUALITY

Chapter 7:             APPLYING THE TOOLS

Chapter 8:             BASIC MEANINGS, SITUATIONAL MEANINGS, AND FIGURED WORLDS

Chapter 9:             FIGURED WORLDS

Chapter 10:           MORE ON FIGURED WORLDS

Chapter 11:           CONTEXT

Chapter 12:           TRANSCRIPTION, AN “IDEAL” DISCOURSE ANALYSIS, AND VALIDITY

Chapter 13:           PROCESSING AND ORGANIZING LANGUAGE

Chapter 14:           MEANING AND CHOICE

Chapter 15:           SAMPLE OF DISCOURSE ANALYSIS 1

Chapter 16:           SAMPLE OF DISCOURSE ANALYSIS 2

Chapter 17:           MULTIMODALITY

Biography

James Paul Gee is a Regents Professor, Emeritus, at Arizona State University and an elected member of the National Academy of Education. He is the author of many books and papers on linguistics, literacy, discourse analysis, and learning. His books include What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Literacy and Learning (2007), Introducing Discourse: From Grammar to Society (2017), and What Is a Human? (2020).

'The main strengths of How to Do Discourse Analysis and An Introduction to Discourse Analysis lie in the clear, engaging style that makes complicated concepts accessible through the use of metaphor, and the abundance of examples. I would recommend everyone who teaches discourse analysis to have these two books in their inventory, if not as main course books, then for selective use as a collection of readings and exercises.’

Daria Dayter, Tampere University, Finland

“This revised edition stands out as a valuable resource that will significantly enhance the learning experience for both students and instructors in the field of discourse analysis. To me, Gee’s book is the best on the market.”

Teresa Bell, Brigham Young University, USA

 

 "This is an excellent new addition to an already excellent book. The new edition contains a substantial amount of new material which makes it more relevant for students today, including the application of DA to current issues such as political polarisation, climate change and social media. The best thing about this edition is how it confronts issues around generative AI in ways that focus on the human side of human-machine communication (and AI’s impact on human-human communication), resulting in insights that are not likely to quickly become obsolete as the technology develops. I am also very pleased with the new chapter on multimodality which not only makes the book more comprehensive but also provides a refreshing take on multimodal discourse analysis. “

Rodney Jones, University of Reading, UK