Operationalization of context in discourse analysis

The author puts the notion of context under the analytical spotlight. The context is discussed as a sociocultural dimension of a text structure. It is presumed that context is one of the most elusive notions in social sciences resisting formalization. The question of how to indicate and define extralinguistic aspects relevant in explanation of text meanings is a key issue both in modern text linguistics and discourse linguistics. In a broader dimension, it might contribute to evidence-based interpretation of linguistic facts. This paper will follow the idea that operationalization of a context is not to be reduced to a communicative situation, some kind of social environment of a text, but is to be explained as a discursive competence of language speakers sharing social practice and cognitive framework. It is the social practice that causes and effects operationalization of relevant context aspects and thus the adequate understanding of text meanings. It is presumed that a cognitive representation of context in the mind of those involved in communication is analytically relevant. To perform an adequate analysis of discourse, we need to include a cognitive dimension. To operationalize context means to take into consideration features of actual practice in specific cultural, historical etc. conditions. The discursive competence controls all the relevant aspects of the production and comprehension of discourse that vary with the social situation. In this aspect, the author critically discusses the main thesis of T. van Dijk's conception that interpretation by the participants of the relevant dimensions of the social environment is represented in so-called "context models" in episodic memory. The article discusses the extent to which different extralinguistic factors can be effectively used in noncritical discourse analysis and in critical discourse analysis / CDA, it discusses the merits and explanatory potential of CDA.