
Opposition In Discourse
The Construction of Oppositional Meaning
Lesley Jeffries(Author)
Continuum Publishing Corporation
Published on 5. January 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-1-4411-0162-4 (ISBN)
Description
Lesley Jeffries introduces a phenomenon which has not been given the attention it deserves - the contextual construction of oppositional meaning. These are opposites not recognisable as such out of context but that are clearly set up this way in the text concerned. The significance of oppositional meaning is well-known, and has been discussed by scholars for millennia, from Philosophy to Politics. But the main emphasis has always been on the conventional opposite: the opposite recognised by lexical semantics. Starting from socio-cultural viewpoints, moving to original research and then concluding with a new theoretical formulation, this book introduces and consolidates a significant new approach to the analysis of oppositional meaning. It closes with a discussion of the importance of constructed opposition in hegemonic practice and makes a case for the inclusion of opposition as a central tool of critical discourse analysis. It will be essential reading for researchers and graduates in stylistics, linguistics and language studies.
Reviews / Votes
"The focus of this book is on how 'created' oppositions are triggered, constructed and construed in language. Examples are drawn from a wealth of sources - including poems, medical texts and newspaper stories - with oppositions cleverly unravelled and their ability to influence our thoughts and our reality gradually exposed. The findings contribute usefully to the growing body of knowledge about antonyms and other oppositions, and to the contexts in which they occur; the ramifications are significant for language-based studies of literature, popular culture and the media." - Steven Jones, Director of Undergraduate Studies, School of Education, The University of Manchester, UKMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
251 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4411-0162-4 (9781441101624)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2011
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Continuum
€42.99
Available for download

E-Book
01/2010
1st Edition
Continuum Publishing Corporation
€42.99
Available for download
Person
Professor Lesley Jeffries is Chair of English Language and Director of the Stylistics Research Centre at the University of Huddersfield, UK. She is also Chair of the Poetics and Linguistics Association (PALA) from 2007-10.
Content
1. What are opposites?; 2. How opposites are constructed in texts and what they mean; 3. Textual/meaningful effects of textual opposition; 4. The role of opposition-construction in discourse meanings; 5. The significance of opposition in language and texts; Bibliography; Index.