A METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR APPLYING CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS TO TEXTUAL DATA

Authors: Dr. Mehdi Morchid

ABSTRACT

This article proposes a stepwise methodological framework for applying Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to textual data using a toolkit-based model. Grounded in Fairclough’s three-dimensional framework and informed by van Dijk’s socio-cognitive perspective, the model provides a structured analytic process that moves from textual features to discursive practice and finally to social explanation. Four analytical lenses consisting of topicalisation, lexicalisation, metaphor and intertextuality serve as the core tools of the framework, guiding the systematic interpretation of the data. A ten-step protocol is introduced to enhance transparency, replicability and procedural clarity while preserving CDA’s interpretive depth. A full worked example, using the BBC News report which announced the first UK COVID-19 lockdown, demonstrates the model in practice. The article concludes with reflections on trustworthiness, reflexive validity and epistemological challenges inherent in CDA.

Keywords: Critical Discourse Analysis, Method, Fairclough, Van Dijk, media discourse, methodological framework.

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