Building further context in systemic functional linguistics and critical discourse analysis

Abstract

Despite all the advances achieved by Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) in the description of the pervasive relationship between language and social context, there is still a need to pursue further theorizing on the issue. In this paper I explore aspects of Giddens’ structuration theory as contextualization tools in discourse analysis. Concentrating on rules and resources as structuring properties of social life, I illustrate how they may be used to supplement analyses in SFL and CDA by discussing aspects of meanings as instantiated in a text by Noam Chomsky, ‘On the Bombings’, of September 11, 2001. I also introduce the notion of intercontextuality to refer to contexts that cut across other contexts. My main concern is to attempt to expand the body of knowledge on the interrelationship between language and social structuring.