What primary analytical focus distinguishes Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) from standard descriptive discourse analysis?
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Correct answer: CDA studies how power, inequality, and bias are enacted and resisted through language
Critical Discourse Analysis, championed by scholars like Norman Fairclough and Teun van Dijk, is explicitly political and socially engaged. It moves beyond describing linguistic features to expose how systemic power asymmetries and ideologies are hidden within everyday language. It aims to reveal how discourse shapes and is shaped by broader socio-political structures.
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