Critical discourse studies as a social science: on the integration of corpus linguistics in CDS

This dissertation offers a reflection on the integration of Corpus Linguistics (CL) and Critical Discourse Studies (CDS), examining the advantages, risks, limitations, and potential philosophical tensions involved. It reconstructs the rationale behind the increasing calls to incorporate corpus-based methods into CDS, arguing that CL provides significant epistemic contributions to the field, both methodologically and theoretically (e.g., Lexical Priming Theory). Simultaneously, CL itself benefits from the qualitative, interpretive orientation characteristic of CDS. Together, both approaches are better suited to grasping the complex relationship between discourse and other elements of social reality at multiple levels of analysis, from micro to macro. A balanced perspective, termed the Synergy Narrative, is advocated and contrasted with the more instrumental Remedy Narrative, which presumes corpus methods straightforwardly resolve methodological and theoretical objections directed at CDS. The discussion is anchored in a Critical Realist framework, demonstrating its compatibility with both Critical Rationalism and Social Constructivism within Discourse Studies. Methodological pluralism and intersubjectivity are examined as natural outcomes resulting from the integration of these philosophical paradigms. Finally, the dissertation addresses the normative dimension of CDS, arguing that the normative potential of corpus-based approaches depends significantly on both the dimension of power under investigation and the mode of critique employed, ranging from internal to explanatory critique. It concludes that while corpus methods greatly enhance critical inquiry, they are insufficient by themselves.