Ontology of the Research

Material Object : Meme Comic

Formal Object : Sign or Symbol  Semiotics

Three approaches to discourse Analysis:

1. The study of language use

2. The study of linguistic structure “beyond the sentence”
3. The study of social practices and ideological assumption that are associated with
language and/or communication.

(Schiffin, Tannen & Hamilton, 2001; cited in Biber, Connor & Upton, 2007:1)

The study of social practices and ideological assumption associated with language and/or
communication:

 Not focus on ‘the description or particular text or the analysis of language structure
and use’
 Focuses on:
- Socio-cultural orientation to discourse
- The action of participants in particular communication events
- Speech/discourse communities and power and gender

Van Dijk's theory defines CDA as follows:

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is a type of discourse analytical research that

primarily studies the way social power abuse, dominance, and inequality are enacted,
reproduced, and resisted by text and talk in the social and political context. With such
dissident research, critical discourse analysts take explicit position, and thus want to
understand expose and ultimately resist social inequality. (Teun van Dijk ‘Critical Discourse
Analysis’)
 Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is used to analyze critical discourses. Teun A van
Dijk's theory sees a text consisting of several structures or levels in which each part is
mutually supportive. Teun van Dijk divides it into 3 levels

1. Macro Structure is the global or general meaning of a text that can be observed by
looking at the topic or theme put forward in a news
2. Superstructure is the structure of discourse related to the framework of a text, how
parts of the text are composed into the news as a whole.
3. Micro Structure: The meaning of discourse that can be observed from a small part of a
text word, sentence propositions, clauses, paraphrase and images.

Firclough and Wodak (1997:270) identify the characteristics of CDA as follows:

1. Pay attention to social issues

2. Believing that power relations are discursive, or pitted in discourse
3. Believe that discourse plays a role in the formation of society and culture
4. Believe that discourse plays a role in building ideology
5. Believe that discourse is historical
6. To mediate the relationship between text and social society
7. Interpretive and explanative
8. Believe that discourse is a form of social action

Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis and Children’S Fantasy Fiction (Findland 2007, 1-3)

Discourse Analysis will, thus, not provide absolute answer to a specific problem, but
enable us to understand the conditions behind a specific “problem” and make us realize that
the essence of that “problems” and its resolution, lie in its assumptions; that very assumpsion
that enable the existence of that “problem” By enabling us to make these assumption explicit,
Discourse analysis aims at allowing us to view the “the problem” from a higher stance and to
gain a comprehensive view of the “problem” and ouselves in relation to that “problem”.
Discourse analysis is meant to provide a higher awereness of the hiddens motivations in
others and ourselves and therefore, enable us to solve concrete problems-not by providing
unequivocal answer, but by making us ask onological and epistemological questions.

Critical Discourse Analysis : some definitions

  To study ‘the way social power. Abuse, dominance, and inequality are enacted,
reproduced, and resisted by text and talk in social and politicalcontext (van Dijk,
2001)
 To reveal ‘the ideological and asymmetrical power structures that inhabit social,
political and cultural processes’ (Bhatia, 2013)

Major theoretical Approaches in CDA

 Due to varying historical backgrounds, theoretical orientations and research

focuses:
- French discourse analysis (Pecheux, 1982)
- Critical linguistics (Fowler, 1971; Kress & Hodge, 1979)
- Social semiotics (Hodge & Kress, 1991)
- Sociocultural Change and Change in Discourse (Fairclough, 1989,1992)
- Socio-Cognitive Studies (Van Dijk, 1980,1983)
- Discourse-Historical Method (Wodak & Meyer, 2009)

CDA : Language as discourse and as social practice (Fairclough, 2001:21)

Social practice: Explanation of the relationship between interaction and social context

Discursive: interpretation of the relationship between text and interaction

Text : Description of the text.

Objective of the research:

a. To find out what message is contained in “Meme Comic”

b. To find out the langyage dynamics configurations contained in “Meme Comic”

The rapid development of technology today, increasingly making social media

growing. for example just like: Line, BBM, Path, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and
other social media. With the emergence of these social media. Increasingly, people are free to
express their opinions about the progress and social issues that are more warmly discussed.

One way the public to criticize what happens in a unique way is to use "meme comic".
Meme comic commonly found on some social media in the form of images and writings that
aim to satire, entertaining or other purposes.
 "Meme Comic" who wants the author thoroughly is a Meme Comiccontained in social
media. For example on facebook. In meme comic there is a speech that aims to convey a
particular message to the reader.

"Meme Comic" as a material object in the author's research plan will be examined by
using the Critical Discourse Analysis. In this research, the writer want to study how
communication’s patterns in acts of speech contained in meme comic. Because in this case
meme comic is a discourse where meme comic as a communication media in the form of text
messages combined with images. Meme comic, one of which is the image and accompanied
by writing is the nature, behavior and culture that is delivered by genetic or imitation
(Dawkins, 1976)

Discourse theory is used to help analyze the text into the study of discourse analysis.
Text is also adapted to the method used. With regard to object material to be studied, then use
semiotic method. Semiotic is the study of meaning.