Book Review:

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Title: Politics as Text and Talk: Analytic approaches to political
discourse.  Series Title: Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and
Culture 4

Publication Year: 2002, John Benjamins http://www.benjamins.com/,
http://www.benjamins.nl Book URL:
http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_bookview.cgi?bookid=D\ APSAC_4

Editors: Paul Chilton, University of East Anglia and Christina Schffner,
Aston University

Abstract:

Human beings are political animals.  They are also articulate mammals.
How are these two aspects linked?

This is a question that is only beginning to be explored. The present
collection makes a contribution to the investigations into the use of
language in those situations which, informally and intuitively, we call
"political". Such an approach is revealing not only for politics itself
but also for the human language capacity.  Each chapter outlines a
particular method or analytic approach and illustrates its application to
a contemporary political issue, institution or mode of political
behaviour. As a whole, the collection aims to give a sample of current
research in the field. It will interest those who are beginning to carry
the research paradigm forward, as well as provide an introduction for
newcomers, whether they come from neighbouring or remote disciplines or
from none.


Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1 . Introduction: Themes and Principles in the Analysis of
            Political Discourse
     Paul Chilton and Christina Schffner

Part I: Institutions and Identities
Chapter 2. Politicization and Depoliticization: Employment Policy in
           the European Union
     Peter Muntigl
Chapter 3. Phraseological Units in Parliamentary Discourse
     Stefan Elspass
Chapter 4. Ceremonial Text and Talk: A Functional-Pragmatic Approach
     Christoph Sauer
Chapter 5. Fragmented Identities: Redefining and Recontextualizing
           National Identity
     Ruth Wodak

Part II. Interaction and cognition
Chapter 6. 'Put Bluntly, You Have Something of a Credibility Problem':
            Sincerity and Credibility in Political Interviews
     Anita Fetzer
Chapter 7. Political Discourse and Political Cognition
     Teun A. van Dijk



Hardback: ISBN: 1588112489, Pages: x, 246 pp., Price: USD 63.00
Hardback: ISBN: 9027226946, Pages: x, 246 pp., Price: EUR 70.00