Correcting ‘a notional’ confusion for critical discourse analysis

ABSTRACT

The meaning and grammatical status of ‘a notional’ in the schema for critical discourse analysis (CDA) from Bhaskar’s posthumously published Enlightened Common Sense (2016) is somewhat ambiguous. An ambiguity that has persisted through a subsequent development of the schema. Following the publication of Bhaskar’s original manuscript, it can now be seen that erroneous grammatical changes were made to the manuscript during the publication process. The original version provides a more coherent schema for CDA. This paper discusses the implications of the original version coming to light. This shows that Bhaskar created a more coherent schema for CDA than the published version indicated. Clarifying the meaning and grammatical status of ‘a notional’ in Bhaskar’s schema for CDA and a schema that was subsequently derived from it is an important corrective for future critical realist critical discourse analysts.

KEYWORDS:

• Critical discourse analysis (CDA)
• notional
• discourse
• schema

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to both Mervyn Hartwig and John O’Regan for their advice.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Economic and Social Research Council: [Grant Number ES/W005786/1].

Notes on contributors

Rob Faure Walker

Rob Faure Walker is an ESRC postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Education, University College London, UK, where he runs the Critical Realism Reading Group with Prof Priscilla Alderson.