A thoughtful, student-friendly introduction to the ways that language creates meaning in its social and cultural contexts
In Studying Language, Producing Knowledge: An Introduction to Discourse Analysis, Anne Mäntynen and Sari Pietikäinen offer a comprehensive yet accessible guide to one of the most important areas of study in sociolinguistics. This textbook introduces discourse as both a theoretical perspective and a practical method for examining the relationship between language and society. Grounded in the idea that language is a form of social action, it explores how discourses shape, and are shaped by, the production of knowledge across cultural, political, and institutional contexts.
Balancing conceptual depth with clarifying explanation, this valuable textbook offers guidance for conducting discourse analysis—from developing research questions and selecting data to building arguments and writing up findings. Drawing on established frameworks such as Fairclough’s three-dimensional model and newer approaches including nexus analysis and critical assemblage analysis, the book provides clear connections between theory and method. Each chapter includes overviews, key concepts, takeaways, discussion points, and real-world examples to prepare students to analyze language as a central force in social and intellectual life. Equipping students to think critically about how meaning is made, regulated, and contested, Studying Language, Producing Knowledge:
- Highlights the role of discourse in the production and circulation of knowledge across diverse social and cultural settings
- Offers a unique framework that examines language through the dual forces of stasis and change
- Presents discourse as a dynamic intersection of power, ideology, and practice
- Incorporates linguistic, cultural, and political perspectives to illuminate how language both reflects and shapes social realities
- Provides conceptual and methodological tools to conduct research in language and society
Studying Language, Producing Knowledge is ideal for students in linguistics, communication, cultural studies, sociology of language, and related disciplines. It is suitable for introductory courses in language and society or research methods or as further reading for students who want to improve their understandings of the relationships between society, culture, and language.
About the Author :
Anne Mäntynen is Professor at the University of Helsinki. A leading scholar in discourse and genre studies, she examines how language ideologies and genres shape social practices and writing cultures. She has published extensively on academic discourse and literacy, edited major works in the field, and served as editor of Virittäjä, Finland’s foremost linguistics journal.
Sari Pietikäinen is Professor at the University of Jyväskylä and Research Fellow at The Arctic University of Norway. Her research explores the intersections of language, power, and ecology in the Arctic. She is the author of Cold Rush: A Critical Assemblage Analysis of a Heating Arctic and has led several international research collaborations on discourse and environmental change.
