This book presents a new theory of discourse, arguing that our understanding of texts ultimately rests on our practices and on what we do. It will be welcomed by students and researchers looking for a form of discourse analysis that is explicit and methodical as well as socially and critically relevant.

Theo van Leeuwen has worked as a film and television producer and scriptwriter in Holland and Australia. He then studied linguistics and combined the methods of linguistic analysis with his knowledge of visual communication in developing his approach to social semiotics.

• Preface;


• Chapter 1: Discourse as the recontextualization of social practice;


• 1. The supersedure of meaning by function;


• 2. Discourse as the recontextualization of social practice;


• 3. Social practices;


• Chapter 2: Representing social actors;


• 1. A sociosemantic inventory;


• 2. Our Race Odyssey;


• 3. Exclusion;


• 4. Role Allocation;


• 5. Genericisation and specification;


• 6. Assimilation;


• 7. Association and dissociation;


• 8. Indetermination and differentiation;


• 9. Nomination and categorization;


• 10. Functionalisation and identification;


• 11. Personalisation and impersonalisation;


• 12. Overdetermination;


• 13. Conclusion;


• Chapter 3: Representing social action


• 1. Introduction;


• 2. Reactions;


• 3. Material and semiotic action;


• 4. Objectivation and descriptivization;


• 5. De-agenitalization


• 6. Generalization and abstraction;


• 7. Overdetermination;


• 8. Conclusion;


• Chapter 4: Time in discourse;


• 1. Introduction;


• 2. The socio-semantics of location and extent;


• 2.1. Time summons;


• 2.2. Synchronisation;


• 2.3. Punctuality;


• 2.4. Exact and inexact timing;


• 2.5. Unique and recurring timing;


• 3. Experiencing Duration;


• 4. Managing Time;


• 5. Two examples;


• Chapter 5: Space in discourse;


• 1. Introduction;


• 2. Locating action;


• 3. Arranging and interpreting space;


• 4. Description and legitimation;


• 5. Subjective and objective space;


• 6. Word and image;


• Chapter 6: The discursive construction of legitimation;


• 1. Introduction;


• 2. Authorization;


• 3. Moral evaluation;


• 4. Rationalization;


• 5. Mythopoesis;


• 6. Multimodal legitimation;


• 7. Legitimation and context;


• Chapter 7: The discursive construction of purpose;


• 1. Introduction;


• 2. Purpose and Legitimation;


• 3. The grammar of purpose;


• Chapter 8: The visual representation of social actors;


• 1. Word and image;


• 2. The image and the viewer;


• 3. Depicting people;


• Chapter 9: Representing social actors with toys;


• 1. Introduction;


• 2. Roles, identities, meanings;


• 3. Preschool Playmobil;


• 4. Playing with Playmobil