Startseite Linguistik & Semiotik Using corpus linguistic techniques in (critical) discourse studies reduces but does not remove bias: Evidence from an Arabic corpus about refugees
Artikel
Lizenziert
Nicht lizenziert Erfordert eine Authentifizierung

Using corpus linguistic techniques in (critical) discourse studies reduces but does not remove bias: Evidence from an Arabic corpus about refugees

  • Ahmad S. Haider EMAIL logo
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 2. März 2019

Abstract

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) investigates the relationship between language, power, and society. Corpus linguistics (CL) is the study of language based on examples of real life language use. Over the last two decades, various scholars have combined some approaches and notions of CDA with the analytical framework of CL to examine the representation of several phenomena in relatively large texts. This study follows a corpus-assisted (critical) discourse analysis approach to investigate a 2.5 million word corpus of Arabic news articles by Jordan’s News Agency (PETRA). It demonstrates how some researchers following this approach may make some decisions, at some stages of their analysis, which are likely to affect their findings. These potential decisions may include selecting what statistical measures to use, what threshold to consider, what terms from the frequency, cluster, and collocation results to further investigate, which concordance lines to include in their study, and some others. In this study, I argue that some of these decisions can be made to suit the researchers’ preconceived assumptions and pre-existing hypotheses. The study concludes that using corpus linguistic techniques to discursively analyze large data reduces but not completely removes researchers’ bias.

References

Abdul-Rahman, M.S. 2009. The meaning and explanation of the glorious Qur'an (Vol. 10). MSA Publication Limited.Suche in Google Scholar

Achilli, L. 2014. “Disengagement from politics: Nationalism, political identity, and the everyday in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan”. Critique of anthropology 34(2). 234–257.10.1177/0308275X13519276Suche in Google Scholar

Al-Emam, D. 2017. "Private Hospitals Association, Libyan authorities reach agreement on outstanding dues". The Jordan Times Retrieved from: <http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/private-hospitals-association-libyan-authorities-reach-agreement-outstanding-dues>Suche in Google Scholar

Antaki, C., M. Billig, D. Edwards and J. Potter. 2003. "Discourse analysis means doing analysis: A critique of six analytic shortcomings". Discourse Analysis Online 1.10.5565/rev/athenea.64Suche in Google Scholar

Arneberg, M. 1997. Living conditions among Palestinian refugees and displaced in Jordan FAFO, Institute for Applied Social Science.Suche in Google Scholar

Baker, P. 2004. "Querying keywords: Questions of difference, frequency, and sense in keywords analysis. Journal of English Linguistics 32(4). 346–359.10.1177/0075424204269894Suche in Google Scholar

Baker, P. 2006. Using corpora in discourse analysis London: Continuum.10.5040/9781350933996Suche in Google Scholar

Baker, P. 2010. Sociolinguistics and corpus linguistics Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.Suche in Google Scholar

Baker, P. 2012. "Acceptable bias? Using corpus linguistics methods with critical discourse analysis". Critical Discourse Studies 9(3). 247–256.10.1080/17405904.2012.688297Suche in Google Scholar

Baker, P. 2014. Using corpora to analyze gender London: Bloomsbury.Suche in Google Scholar

Baker, P. and J. Egbert. 2016. Triangulating methodological approaches in corpus linguistic research London: Routledge.10.4324/9781315724812Suche in Google Scholar

Baker, P., C. Gabrielatos, M. KhosraviNik, M. Krzyżanowski, T. McEnery and R. Wodak. 2008. "A useful methodological synergy? Combining critical discourse analysis and corpus linguistics to examine discourses of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK press". Discourse and Society 19(3). 273–306.10.1177/0957926508088962Suche in Google Scholar

Baker, P., C. Gabrielatos and T. McEnery. 2013. Discourse analysis and media attitudes: The representation of Islam in the British press Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9780511920103Suche in Google Scholar

Baker, P. and E. Levon. 2015. "Picking the right cherries? A comparison of corpus-based and qualitative analyses of news articles about masculinity". Discourse and Communication 9(2). 221–236.10.1177/1750481314568542Suche in Google Scholar

Baker, P., and McEnery, T. 2005. A corpus-based approach to discourses of refugees and asylum seekers in UN and newspaper texts. Journal of Language and Politics 4(2). 197–197.10.1075/jlp.4.2.04bakSuche in Google Scholar

Baker, P., and McEnery, T. (2015a). Corpora and discourse studies: Integrating discourse and corpora London: Palgrave Macmillan.10.1057/9781137431738Suche in Google Scholar

Baker, P. and T. McEnery. (2015b). "Introduction". In: Baker, P. and T. McEnery (eds.), Corpora and discourse studies: Integrating discourse and corpora London: Palgrave Macmillan. 1–19.10.1057/9781137431738_1Suche in Google Scholar

Billig, M. 2002. "Critical discourse analysis and the rhetoric of critique". In: Weiss, G. and R. Wodak (eds.), Critical discourse analysis: Theory and interdisciplinarity London: Palgrave Macmillan. 35–46.Suche in Google Scholar

Blommaert, J. 2005. Discourse: A critical introduction Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9780511610295Suche in Google Scholar

Bloor, M. and T. Bloor. 2007. The practice of critical discourse analysis: An introduction London: Hodder Arnold.Suche in Google Scholar

Boeva, A. 2016. "Discursive construction of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in British and American news sources". Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences 236. 53–58.10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.12.018Suche in Google Scholar

Breeze, R. 2011. "Critical discourse analysis and its critics". Pragmatics 21(4). 493–525.10.1075/prag.21.4.01breSuche in Google Scholar

Edwards, A. 2016. Global forced displacement hits record high UNHCR.Suche in Google Scholar

Fairclough, N. 1992. Discourse and social change Cambridge, MA; Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.Suche in Google Scholar

Fairclough, N., and R. Wodak. 1997. "Critical Discourse Analysis". In: van Dijk, T. (ed.), Introduction to Discourse Analysis London: Sage. 258–284.Suche in Google Scholar

Feldman, I. 2012. "The humanitarian condition: Palestinian refugees and the politics of living". Humanity: An International Journal of Human Rights, Humanitarianism, and Development 3(2). 155–172.10.1353/hum.2012.0017Suche in Google Scholar

Firth, J.R. 1957. Papers in linguistics 1934–1951: Repr Oxford: Oxford University Press.Suche in Google Scholar

Forest, R.W. 2007. “Tell us what you really think”: Collocation and discourse in an intertextual corpus. City University of Hong Kong.Suche in Google Scholar

Fotopoulos, S. and M. Kaimaklioti. 2016. "Media discourse on the refugee crisis: on what have the Greek, German and British press focused?" European View 15(2). 265–279.10.1007/s12290-016-0407-5Suche in Google Scholar

Gabrielatos, C. and P. Baker. 2008. "Fleeing, sneaking, flooding: A corpus analysis of discursive constructions of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK press 1996–2005. Journal of English Linguistics 36(1). 5–38.10.1177/0075424207311247Suche in Google Scholar

Gabrielatos, C. and A. Duguid. 2015. "Corpus Linguistics and CDA: Revisiting the notion of synergy". Paper presented at the conference Corpus Linguistics in the South 9, Oxford Brooks University.Suche in Google Scholar

Ghazal, M. 2016. "Population stands at around 9.5 million, including 2.9 million guests". The Jordan Times. Retrieved from: <http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/population-stands-around-95-million-including-29-million-guests>Suche in Google Scholar

Greenslade, R. 2005. Seeking scapegoats: The coverage of asylum in the UK press Institute for Public Policy Research.Suche in Google Scholar

Haider, A.S. 2016. A corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis of the Arab uprisings: Evidence from the Libyan case. (PhD dissertation, University of Canterbury, Christchurch.)Suche in Google Scholar

Haider, A.S. and S. Olimy. 2018. "The representation of laji’een (refugees) and muhajireen (migrants) in the headlines of Jordan News Agency (PETRA)". International Journal for the Semiotics of Law / Revue internationale de Sémiotique juridique10.1007/s11196-018-9550-4Suche in Google Scholar

Halliday, M.A. 1993. "Quantitative studies and probabilities in grammar". In: Hoey, M. (ed.), Data, description, discourse – Papers on the English language in honour of John McH. Sinclair London: HarperCollins Publishers.Suche in Google Scholar

Hardt-Mautner, G. 1995. 'Only Connect.' Critical discourse analysis and corpus linguistics. Technical Papers 6.) Lancaster: UCREL (University Centre for Computer Corpus Research on Language). <http://ucrel.lancs.ac.uk/papers/techpaper/vol6.pdf>Suche in Google Scholar

Harris, Z.S. 1952. "Discourse Analysis". Language 28(1). 1–30.10.2307/409987Suche in Google Scholar

Hunston, S. 2002. Corpora in applied linguistics Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9781139524773Suche in Google Scholar

Hussein, R. 2017. "Jordan, donors endorse new refugee response plan". The Jordan Times Retrieved from: <http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/jordan-donors-endorse-new-refugee-response-plan>10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199349791.013.17Suche in Google Scholar

Iskandarli, R. 2012. Human rights of vulnerable groups in Azerbaijan Baku.Suche in Google Scholar

Kenny, D. 2001. Lexis and creativity in translation: A corpus-based study Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing.Suche in Google Scholar

KhosraviNik, M. 2010. "The representation of refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants in British newspapers: A critical discourse analysis". Journal of Language and Politics 9(1). 1–28.10.1075/jlp.9.1.01khoSuche in Google Scholar

Kopytowska, M. 2015. "Ideology of ‘Here and Now': Mediating distance in television news". Critical Discourse Studies 12(3). 347–365.10.1080/17405904.2015.1013485Suche in Google Scholar

Kopytowska, M., Ł. Grabowski and J. Woźniak. 2017. "Mobilizing against the Other". In: Kopytowska, M. (ed.), Contemporary discourses of hate and radicalism across space and genres Amsterdam/Philadephia: John Benjamins. 57–97.10.1075/bct.93.11kopSuche in Google Scholar

Kumaraswamy, P.R. and M. Singh. 2017. "Population pressure in Jordan and the role of Syrian refugees". Migration and Development 6(3). 412–427.10.1080/21632324.2016.1141500Suche in Google Scholar

Lenner, K. and S. Schmelter. 2016. "Syrian Refugees in Jordan and Lebanon: Between refuge and ongoing deprivation". IEMed Mediterranean Yearbook 2016 Barcelona: Institut Europeu de la Mediterrània. 122–126.Suche in Google Scholar

Luke, A. 2002. "Beyond science and ideology critique: Developments in Critical Discourse Analysis. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 22. 96–110.10.1017/S0267190502000053Suche in Google Scholar

Maingueneau, D. 2006. "Is Discourse Analysis critical?" Critical Discourse Studies 3(2). 229–235.10.1080/17405900600908145Suche in Google Scholar

Malkawi, K. 2016. "Syrian refugees cost Kingdom $2.5 billion a year – report". The Jordan Times Retrieved from: <http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/syrian-refugees-cost-kingdom-25-billion-year-%E2%80%94-report>Suche in Google Scholar

Marchi, A. and C. Taylor. 2009. "If on a winter’s night two researchers…: A challenge to assumptions of soundness of interpretation". Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines 3(1). 1–20.Suche in Google Scholar

Mautner, G. 2009. "Checks and balances: How corpus linguistics can contribute to CDA". In: Wodak, R. and M. Meyer (eds.), Methods of critical discourse analysis London: Sage. 122–143.Suche in Google Scholar

McEnery, T. and A. Wilson. 2001. Corpus linguistics Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.Suche in Google Scholar

Namrouqa, H. 2017. "PM launches $930m water strategy for Amman and Zarqa". The Jordan Times Retrieved from: <http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/pm-launches-930m-water-strategy-amman-and-zarqa>Suche in Google Scholar

Partington, A. 1998. Patterns and meanings: Using corpora for English language research and teaching (vol. 2). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing.10.1075/scl.2Suche in Google Scholar

Partington, A. 2008. "The armchair and the machine: Corpus-assisted discourse research". In: Taylor Torsello, C., K. Ackerley and E. Castello (eds.), Corpora for university language teachers Bern: Peter Lang. 95–118.Suche in Google Scholar

Partington, A., A. Duguid and C. Taylor. 2013. Patterns and meanings in discourse: Theory and practice in corpus-assisted discourse studies (CADS) Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing.10.1075/scl.55Suche in Google Scholar

Partington, A., J. Morley and L. Haarman. 2004. Corpora and discourse Bern: Peter Lang.Suche in Google Scholar

Reisigl, M. and R. Wodak. 2001. Discourse and discrimination London: Routledge.Suche in Google Scholar

Riasati, M.J. and F. Rahimi. 2011. "Critical Discourse Analysis: Scrutinizing ideologically-driven discourses". International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 1(16). 107–112.Suche in Google Scholar

Salahshour, N. 2017. Representation of immigrants in New Zealand print media: A Critical Discourse Analysis (PhD dissertation, Victoria University of Wellington.)Suche in Google Scholar

Ṣallābī, A.M.M. 2005. The noble life of the Prophet Riyadh: Darussalam.Suche in Google Scholar

Samaha, N. 2012. "Lebanon's forgotten refugees". Al-Jazeera Retrieved from: <http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/07/201272714143849106.html>Suche in Google Scholar

Samari, G. 2017. "Syrian refugee women's health in Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan and recommendations for improved practice". World Medical and Health Policy 9(2). 255–274.10.1002/wmh3.231Suche in Google Scholar

Schegloff, E.A. 1997. "Whose text? Whose context?" Discourse and Society 8(2). 165–187.10.1177/0957926597008002002Suche in Google Scholar

Scott, M. 1999. WordSmith Tools (Software). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Suche in Google Scholar

Stubbs, M. 1997. "Whorf's children: Critical comments on critical discourse analysis (CDA)". In: Ryan, A. and A. Wray (eds.), Evolving models of language: British studies in applied linguistics Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. 100–116.Suche in Google Scholar

Stubbs, M. 2001. Words and phrases: Corpus studies of lexical semantics Malden, MA; Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.Suche in Google Scholar

Stubbs, M. 2007. "On texts, corpora and models of language". In: Hoey, S.M., M. Mahlberg and W. Teubert (ed.), Text, discourse and corpora: Theory and analysis. London: Continuum. 127–161.Suche in Google Scholar

Sunderland, J. 2004. Gendered discourses New York: Palgrave Macmillan.10.1057/9780230505582Suche in Google Scholar

Taylor, C. 2014. "Investigating the representation of migrants in the UK and Italian press: A cross-linguistic corpus-assisted discourse analysis". International journal of corpus linguistics 19(3). 368–400.10.1075/ijcl.19.3.03taySuche in Google Scholar

Taylor, C. and A. Marchi. 2018. Corpus approaches to discourse: A critical review. London: Routledge.10.4324/9781315179346Suche in Google Scholar

Tognini-Bonelli, E. 2000. "Corpus classroom currency". Darbai ir dienos 24. 205–243.10.7220/2335-8769.24.14Suche in Google Scholar

Tognini-Bonelli, E. 2001. "Corpus linguistics at work". Computational Linguistics 28(4). 583–583.10.1075/scl.6Suche in Google Scholar

UNHCR. 2010. Internally Displaced People Geneva: UNHCR.Suche in Google Scholar

UNHCR. 2015. What is a refugee Geneva: UNHCR.Suche in Google Scholar

Van Dijk, T.A. 1991. Racism and the press London: Routledge.Suche in Google Scholar

Van Dijk, T.A. 1993. Elite discourse and racism London: Sage.10.4135/9781483326184Suche in Google Scholar

Van Dijk, T.A. 1996. "Power and the news media". In: Paletz, D. and C. Vinson (eds.), Political communication and action Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. 9–36.Suche in Google Scholar

Van Dijk, T.A. 1998. Ideology: A multidisciplinary approach London: Sage.Suche in Google Scholar

Van Dijk, T.A. 2000. Ideology and discourse: A multidisciplinary introduction Barcelona: Pompeu Fabra University.10.4135/9781446217856Suche in Google Scholar

Van Dijk, T.A. 2003. "Critical discourse analysis". In: Schiffrin, D., D. Tannen, and H.E. Hamilton (eds.), The handbook of discourse analysis. Oxford: Blackwell. 352–371.Suche in Google Scholar

Van Dijk, T.A. 2006. "Politics, ideology, and discourse". In: Brown, K. (ed.), Encyclopedia of language and linguistics (vol. 9). Oxford/New York: Pergamon Press. 728–740.10.1016/B0-08-044854-2/00722-7Suche in Google Scholar

Van Dijk, T.A. 2009. "Critical discourse studies: A sociocognitive approach". Methods of critical discourse analysis 2(1). 62–86.Suche in Google Scholar

Widdowson, H.G. 1995. "Discourse analysis: A critical view". Language and Literature 4(3). 157–172.10.1177/096394709500400301Suche in Google Scholar

Widdowson, H.G. 1996. "Reply to Fairclough: Discourse and interpretation: Conjectures and refutations". Language and Literature 5(1). 57–69.10.1177/096394709600500106Suche in Google Scholar

Widdowson, H.G. 1998. "Review article: The theory and practice of Critical Discourse Analysis". Applied linguistics 19(1). 136–151.10.1093/applin/19.1.136Suche in Google Scholar

Widdowson, H.G. 2000. "On the limitations of linguistics applied". Applied Linguistics 21(1). 3–25.10.1093/applin/21.1.3Suche in Google Scholar

Widdowson, H.G. 2001. "Scoring points by critical analysis: A reaction to Beaugrande". Applied Linguistics 22(2). 266–272.10.1093/applin/22.2.266Suche in Google Scholar

Widdowson, H.G. 2004. Text, context, pretext: Critical issues in discourse analysis Oxford: Blackwell.10.1002/9780470758427Suche in Google Scholar

Wodak, R. 2002. "Aspects of Critical Discourse Analysis". Zeitschrift für Angewandte Linguistik 36. 5–31.Suche in Google Scholar

Wodak, R. 2009. "What CDA is about – A summary of its history, important concepts and its developments". In: Wodak, R. and M. Meyer (eds.), Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis London: Sage. 1–14.Suche in Google Scholar

Wodak, R. and P. Chilton. 2005. A new agenda in (critical) discourse analysis: Theory, methodology, and interdisciplinary Amsterdam: Benjamins.10.1075/dapsac.13Suche in Google Scholar

Wodak, R. and M. Meyer (eds.). 2009. Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis London: Sage.Suche in Google Scholar

Published Online: 2019-03-02
Published in Print: 2018-03-26

© 2019 Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland

Heruntergeladen am 13.12.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/psicl-2019-0004/pdf
Button zum nach oben scrollen