Language as a means of social control and resistance : discourse analysis in a prison setting
This study is concerned with the linguistic analysis of a cognitive training programme for offenders which was run at Prison X in 1996. Several Cognitive Skills classes run by prison officers and attended by groups of five to eight prisoners were videotaped and analysed to investigate the discourse practices used in these sessions. I also explored the written discourse of the Cognitive Skills Handbook used by the offenders as a reference-text for running the classes. In my research, I have borrowed insights from Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), particularly Fairclough's three-dimensional model of discourse, as it forms a framework for studying language in its relation to power and ideology. I have attempted to show through this case study that the discursive practices investigated are ideological in that they produce and reproduce unequal power relations in the way they represent and classify offenders. Following the Hallidayan tradition, I have taken a systemic functional approach as my point of departure for the analysis and interpretation of texts.
Mayr, Andrea
PE English ; HM Sociology ; P Philology. Linguistics
Language as a means of social control and resistance : discourse analysis in a prison setting. This study is concerned with the linguistic analysis of a cognitive training programme for offenders which was run at Prison X in 1996. Several Cognitive Skills classes run by prison officers and attended by groups of five to eight prisoners were videotaped and analysed to investigate the discourse practices used in these sessions. I also explored the written discourse of the Cognitive Skills Handbook used by the offenders as a reference-text for running the classes. In my research, I have borrowed insights from Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), particularly Fairclough's three-dimensional model of discourse, as it forms a framework for studying language in its relation to power and ideology. I have attempted to show through this case study that the discursive practices investigated are ideological in that they produce and reproduce unequal power relations in the way they represent and classify offenders. Following the Hallidayan tradition, I have taken a systemic functional approach as my point of departure for the analysis and interpretation of texts.
language mean social_control resistance discourse_analysis prison setting study_concern linguistic_analysis cognitive training programme offender run several cognitive skills class run prison officer attend group prisoner analysed investigate discourse_practice use session also_explore write_discourse cognitive skills handbook use offender reference text running class borrow insight critical_discourse_analysis cda particularly fairclough three_dimensional model discourse form framework study language relation power ideology attempt_show case_study discursive_practice investigate ideological produce reproduce unequal power_relation way represent classify offender following tradition take systemic_functional point_departure analysis_interpretation text