ACTION-IMPLICATIVE DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Action-implicative discourse analysis is the name for a new type of di scourse analysis, developed to be useful in the critique and cultivati on of communicative practices in society. Developed within the metathe oretical framework of grounded practical theory, an extension and form alization of Craig's earlier ideas about communication as a practical discipline, action-implicative discourse analysis seeks to characteriz e the communicative problems, conversational techniques, and situated ideals of communicative practices. After overviewing the method's meta theoretical framework, the article proceeds to highlight what is disti nctive about this new method. By comparing and contrasting action-impl icative discourse analysis with four markedly different discourse anal ytic approaches-conversation analysis, interactional sociolinguistics, critical discourse analysis, and discursive psychology-the article se eks to make the methodological approach's distinctive character visibl e. The article's final section explicates criteria that could be used in assessing interpretive discourse approaches generally, and action-i mplicative discourse analysis in particular