Language is more than a tool for communication—it is a powerful force that shapes how knowledge is produced and understood. Studying Language, Producing Knowledge offers a clear and comprehensive introduction to discourse studies, demonstrating how language operates as social action. Anne Mäntynen and Sari Pietikäinen trace the evolution of the field, combining classic theories with contemporary approaches to show how discourse constructs meaning, identities, and social realities.
Through an engaging blend of conceptual explanation and practical guidance, this textbook guides readers step by step through the process of analyzing discourse in real-world contexts. Each chapter provides key concepts, discussion points, and examples that help students move confidently from theory to research practice. Throughout the text, the authors highlight how discourse interacts with power, ideology, and change, and how the study of language can reveal the dynamics of knowledge production in today’s complex social world.
Studying Language, Producing Knowledge is written for undergraduate and postgraduate students across language, communication, and cultural studies, as well as sociology and anthropology. It is ideal for courses on discourse analysis, language and society, or qualitative research methods, and serves as an essential guide for anyone seeking to understand how language shapes the ways we know and act.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements ix
Part I What is Discourse Studies? 1
1 Language as Social Action 3
1.1 Language and Society 4
1.2 Language as a Resource 7
Takeaways 10
Discussion Points 11
References 11
2 The Dynamic Concept of Discourse 12
2.1 What Is Discourse? 12
2.2 Discourse: Entanglements Between Language and Society 15
Takeaways 17
Discussion Points 18
References 18
3 Discourse in Contexts 19
3.1 Context Matters 20
3.2 Connecting Contexts 21
3.3 Situational Context 22
3.4 Discourse Practices 25
3.5 Multiplicity of Contexts 26
Takeaways 28
Discussion Points 28
References 29
4 Frameworks for Examining Discourse 30
4.1 Frameworks for Analysing Discourse Dimensions, Processes and Connections 31
4.2 Three- Dimensional Discourse: Norman Fairclough 32
4.3 Nexus Analysis 33
4.4 Critical Assemblage Analysis 34
4.5 Concepts as Thinking Tools 36
Takeaways 37
Discussion Points 37
References 37
Part II Key Concepts for Analysing Discourse 39
5 Discourse, Power and Knowledge 41
5.1 Discourse and Knowledge Production 42
5.2 Discursive Struggles: A Moment of Competing Discourses 43
5.3 Intertwined Knowledges 44
5.4 Categorisation as a Revaluing Resource 46
Takeaways 48
Discussion Points 49
References 49
6 Genre 51
6.1 Genre Matters 52
6.2 Functional Genre 53
6.3 The Power of the Genre 54
6.4 Genre Frameworks 56
6.5 Genre Norms 58
6.6 Genre as an Organising Power 59
Takeaways 61
Discussion Points 62
References 62
7 Regulating Discourse 64
7.1 Centripetal and Centrifugal Forces 65
7.2 Discourse Norms 65
7.3 Discourse Regulation 67
7.4 Discourse Regimes 69
7.5 AI as a Regulating Writing Machine 71
Takeaways 72
Discussion Points 73
References 73
8 Discourse Dynamics 74
8.1 Intertextuality 74
8.2 Genre Hybridity 78
8.3 Re/Deterritorialisation 81
Takeaways 82
Discussion Points 83
References 84
9 The Power of Language Ideologies 85
9.1 Language Ideological Debates: A Discourse Studies Approach 86
9.2 Language Ideology at the Service of Nation- Building 89
9.3 Multilingualism and Language Ideologies 90
9.4 Indexicality and Language Ideological Processes 92
Takeaways 96
Discussion Points 96
Note 96
References 97
Part III A Practical Guide to Discourse Analysis 101
10 Research Process in Discourse Studies 103
10.1 Qualitative Researching 103
10.2 Designing Your Discourse Research 105
10.3 Get Started with Your Discourse Research: The Plan 108
10.4 Doing Discourse Analysis: 20 Practical Steps 108
10.5 A Final Note 110
11 Getting Started with Your Research Project 111
11.1 Choosing a Topic 112
Checklist: Understanding and Analysing Context in Discourse Research 113
11.2 Research Questions as Research Strategy 114
11.3 Thinking Tools: Theories and Concepts 116
11.4 Concepts at Work 117
11.5 Finding Your Data 118
11.6 Collecting Your Data 119
11.7 Managing Your Data 120
References 121
12 Methods for Meaning: Doing Discourse Analysis 122
12.1 Methods in Discourse Studies 123
12.2 Analytical Process: Step by Step 124
12.2.1 Description 124
12.2.2 Interpretation 125
12.2.3 Explanation 127
12.3 Making Your Argument 127
References 128
13 Doing Discourse Analysis 129
Key Principle: Knowledge Is Discursively Constructed 131
Stage I: Getting Started 132
Step 1: Analysis Is a Process 132
Step 2: Analysis Requires Theoretical Understanding 138
Step 3: Analysis Requires a Selective Gaze 142
Step 4: Researcher Constructs the Data 144
Stage II: Doing Analysis and Making Connections 146
Step 5: Analysis Means Making Choices 146
Step 6: Analysis Is the Systematic Classification and Organisation of Observations 148
Step 7: Analysis Requires Conceptualisation and Abstraction 150
Step 8: Analysis Is Making Connections 152
Stage III: Producing New Knowledge 154
Step 9: Analysis Is Argumentation and Writing 154
Step 10: Analysis Is Participating in a Discussion 157
References 160
Bibliography 162
Index 168
About the Author :
ANNE MÄNTYNEN is Professor of Non-Fiction 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 served as Editor of Virittäjä.
SARI PIETIKÄINEN is Professor of Discourse Studies at the University of Jyväskylä and Research Fellow at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Her research explores the entanglements between discourse, power, and ecology in the Arctic, using critical assemblage analysis.
