Expressivity and Discourse Analysis

Abstract Discourse analysis has increasingly addressed emotions and expressivity, despite not being core concepts in its traditional frameworks. This chapter explores how discourse analysis views expressivity as a social practice, shaped by and shaping power relations. From a discourse analytic perspective, expressions of emotion are not a direct expression of inner experiences. Rather, as socially formed practices these expressions shape the subjective experience. Starting with ordinary language philosophy, we review functional accounts of expressivity and examine its treatment in various discourse-analytical approaches. This perspective is then applied to different fields, including popular science, historical discourse semantics, hate speech, and language use on social media, illustrating how emotions are made available as social phenomena through discourse, particularly in contexts of power and hate speech.