Bloomsbury Home
- Home
- ACADEMIC
- Linguistics
- Psycholinguistics and Cognitive Linguistics
- Conflict, Discourse and Cognition
Conflict, Discourse and Cognition
Political Discourse in Northern Ireland
Conflict, Discourse and Cognition
Political Discourse in Northern Ireland
Payment for this pre-order will be taken when the item becomes available
This product is usually dispatched within 2-4 weeks following the publication date
- Delivery and returns info
-
Flat rate of $10.00 for shipping anywhere in Australia
You must sign in to add this item to your wishlist. Please sign in or create an account
Description
A comprehensive approach to the study of discourse and conflict, this book explores how opposing communities construe discourse worlds which appear to reflect the existence of “paradoxical realities”.
Adopting a novel method for the study of conflict, framed in the cognitive linguistic tradition within Critical Discourse Studies, the book explains how conflict may be discursively created by relying on the study of four main construal operations. Grounded in examples specific to Northern Ireland, each chapter also highlights how the method used could be applied to other conflictual contexts. In doing so, it demonstrates how language and representation in conflict situations may stem from a combination of different layers in conflictual relations and the existence of both overt and covert conflict. It also provides a comprehensive list of linguistic cues upon which researchers can rely for analysing and explaining the role of discourse in conflictual situations.
Table of Contents
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
1. Introduction
2. What Can Cognitive Linguistics Offer for Conflict Studies?
3. The Choreography of Northern Ireland: Historical and Political Background
4. Gestalt and Structural Configuration
5. Attention and Salience
6. Judgement and Comparison
7. Positioning and Perspective
8. Conclusion: Managing Conflict via Discourse
Appendix: A Short Chronology of Post-Agreement NI
References
Index
Product details

Published | 11 Dec 2025 |
---|---|
Format | Hardback |
Edition | 1st |
Extent | 304 |
ISBN | 9781350373761 |
Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
Illustrations | 30 bw illus |
Dimensions | 234 x 156 mm |
Series | Bloomsbury Advances in Critical Discourse Studies |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
-
Conflict, Discourse and Cognition offers inspiration and tools to include discourse studies in research across disciplines with a view to the limitations of the human mind. It presents a clear and fundamental cognitive approach to discourse analysis as a critical means to reveal and enhance the understanding of the nature and politics of language use. The case study of discourses on the Northern Ireland Troubles and aftermath shows how opposing worldviews reveal causes of conflict and doorways to reconciliation. The book will inform scholars (to enhance research design), teachers (to inspire students), and practitioners (appreciation of the power of language to create or alleviate conflict).
Dr. Bertie Kaal, Independent Researcher at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam