How to Do Discourse Analysis

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).

• IntroductionUnit 1: Language and Context1.1 Grammar1.2 Language Acquisition1.3 Speed and Clarity1.4 Context and Cultural Knowledge1.5 Making the Taken-for-Granted New and Strange1.6 Working with The Making Strange Tool1.7 Deixis1.8 Working with the Deixis Tool1.9 Context1.10 Working with the Fill-In Tool1.11 Subjects and Predicates1.12 Working with Subject Tool1.13 Intonation1.14 Working with the Intonation Tool1.15 The Frame Problem1.16 The Frame Problem in Action1.17 Working with the Frame ToolUnit 2: Saying, Doing, and Designing2.1 People Do things with Language, Not Just Say Things2.2 Working with Doing and Not Just Saying Tool2.3 Grammar as Tools for Structure and Meaning2.4 Working with the Grammar as Choice Tool2.5 Vocabulary2.6 Working with the Vocabulary Tool2.7 Topics and Themes2.8 Working with the Topic and Theme Tool2.9 Stanzas2.10 Working with the Stanza ToolUnit 3: Building Things in the World3.1 Building Tasks3.2 Building Things with Language3.3 An Example: A Collaboration around Oral History3.4 The Context is Reflexive Tool3.5 Working with the Context is Reflexive Tool3.6 Working with the Significance Building Tool3.7 Working with the Practices/Activities Building Tool3.8 Working with the Identities Building Tool3.9 Working with the Relationships Building Tool3.10 Working with the Politics Building Tool3.11 Working with the Connections Building Tool3.12 Working with the Sign Systems and Knowledge Building Tool3.13 Topic Flow or Topic Chaining Tool3.14 Working with the Topic Flow or Topic Chaining ToolUnit 4: Theoretical Tools4.1 Six Theoretical Tools4.2 The Situational Meaning Tool4.3 Working with the Situational Meaning Tool4.4 The Social Languages Tool4.5 Working with the Social Languages Tool4.6 The Intertextuality Tool4.7 Working with the Intertextuality Tool4.8 The Figured Worlds Tool4.9 Working with the Figured Worlds Tool4.10 The Big "D" Discourse Tool4.11 Working with the Big "D" Discourse Tool4.12 Notes about Discourses4.13 Notes about DiscoursesThe Big "C" Conversation Tool4.14 Working with the Big "C" Conversation Tool4.15 Conclusion

‘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