Analysing Discourse is an accessible introduction to text and discourse analysis for all students and researchers seeking to use and investigate real language data. Students and researchers in the social sciences, as well as language specialists, often discover that they cannot get as much from texts, conversations or research interviews as they would like because they are unsure exactly how to analyze these language materials. This book helps all students and researchers who rely on real language data to get the most out of their resources. Drawing on a range of social theorists from Bourdieu to Habermas, as well as his own past research, Fairclough's book presents a form of language analysis with a consistently social perspective. His approach is illustrated by and investigated through a range of real texts, from political speeches and TV news reports to management consultancy reports and texts concerning globalization. The book is an essential resource for students seeking to analyze real texts and discourse.