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  • © 2017

Exploring Discourse in Context and in Action

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Explores the rapidly growing area of Discourse Analysis in a wide range of contexts including business, healthcare, law and social work
  • Identifies critical questions to be addressed in discourse-based research
  • Offers a plethora of case studies, exemplary material and study aids

Part of the book series: Research and Practice in Applied Linguistics (RPAL)

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xix
  2. Introduction

    • Christopher N. Candlin, Jonathan Crichton, Stephen H. Moore
    Pages 1-13
  3. Concepts and Issues

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 15-15
    2. Discourses on Discourse

      • Christopher N. Candlin, Jonathan Crichton, Stephen H. Moore
      Pages 17-41
    3. Who’s Involved in Discourse?

      • Christopher N. Candlin, Jonathan Crichton, Stephen H. Moore
      Pages 43-84
    4. ‘What Is It That’s Going on Here?’

      • Christopher N. Candlin, Jonathan Crichton, Stephen H. Moore
      Pages 85-128
    5. How Do You Know That?

      • Christopher N. Candlin, Jonathan Crichton, Stephen H. Moore
      Pages 129-154
    6. Why That Now?

      • Christopher N. Candlin, Jonathan Crichton, Stephen H. Moore
      Pages 155-180
    7. What Actions Are Being Taken Here, by Whom and Why?

      • Christopher N. Candlin, Jonathan Crichton, Stephen H. Moore
      Pages 181-216
    8. How Do Discourse and Social Change Drive Each Other?

      • Christopher N. Candlin, Jonathan Crichton, Stephen H. Moore
      Pages 217-235
  4. A Multi-perspectival Approach to Analysing Discourse

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 237-237
    2. What Next?

      • Christopher N. Candlin, Jonathan Crichton, Stephen H. Moore
      Pages 239-273
  5. Resources

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 275-275
    2. Key Sources

      • Christopher N. Candlin, Jonathan Crichton, Stephen H. Moore
      Pages 277-285
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 287-311

About this book

This book combines an authoritative examination of the field of discourse-based research with practical guidance on research design and development. The book is not prescriptive but instead invites expansive, innovative thinking about what discourse is, why it matters to people at particular sites and how it can be investigated. The authors identify a set of questions that, they argue, are crucial for understanding discourse. Part I of the book explores the implications of these questions, providing a comprehensive survey of relevant scholars, theories, concepts and methodologies. Part II addresses these implications, setting out a multi-perspectival approach to resourcing and integrating micro and macro perspectives in the description, interpretation and explanation of data. Part III offers wide-ranging resources to support further reflection and future research. Ultimately, this book offers a new research approach for students, researchers and practitioners in Applied Linguistics toencourage and support research that can be truly impactful through its relevance to social and professional practice.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

    Christopher N. Candlin, Stephen H. Moore

  • University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia

    Jonathan Crichton

About the authors

Christopher N Candlin was Senior Research Professor Emeritus in the Department of Linguistics at Macquarie University, Sydney, and a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences. His research and publications lie in the critical analysis of professional/institutional discourses.  He was a member of the Editorial Boards of key international journals, and co-edited, with Srikant Sarangi, the Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice. His recent publications include, co-edited with Jonathan Crichton, Discourses of Deficit (2011), Discourses of Trust (2013) and Communicating Risk (2016).


Jonathan Crichton is Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and Member of the Research Centre for Languages and Cultures at the University of South Australia. His research focuses on professional and organisational communication, particularly in health settings. He has published in a wide range of international journals and edited collections, and is the author of The Discourse of Commercialization (2010), and co-editor, with Christopher N Candlin, of Discourses of Deficit (2011), Discourses of Trust (2013) and Communicating Risk (2016).


Stephen H. Moore is Associate Professor in the Linguistics Department at Macquarie University, Australia. He has worked in the fields of English language teaching, English for Specific Purposes, discourse analysis and language assessment for more than 25 years. He is co-author of Language for Specific Purposes (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015). His current research is investigating the discourse of financial advisors. He has a long-standing interest in English in and about Cambodia and has written and published widely on this topic.



Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Exploring Discourse in Context and in Action

  • Authors: Christopher N. Candlin, Jonathan Crichton, Stephen H. Moore

  • Series Title: Research and Practice in Applied Linguistics

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-31506-9

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-0-230-25270-7Published: 06 April 2017

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-31506-9Published: 30 March 2017

  • Series ISSN: 2946-2258

  • Series E-ISSN: 2946-2266

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIX, 311

  • Number of Illustrations: 6 b/w illustrations, 1 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Applied Linguistics, Discourse Analysis, Sociolinguistics, Pragmatics, Semantics

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access