Toward integrative triangulation in discourse-historical approach

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel mode of Discourse-Historical Approach that features integrative triangulation of quantitative and qualitative analyses. The integrative triangulation is achieved by following a rule-bound and systematic discourse analytic procedure with rules derived from a diachronic discourse model that is constructed by explicating premises in the Discourse-Historical Approach, and by using data-driven inductive inference with three supra-lexical quantifiable components – propositions, sinsign topics, and discursive strategies. The case study with American identity construction as the macro-topic and the U.S. presidential inaugural addresses as the discourse corpus shows that the integrative mode produces explicit and sufficient evidence that not only complements, validates, and expands existent findings, but also reveals novel insights on the macro-topic, proving that integrative triangulation of quantitative and qualitative analyses promotes credibility, explicitness, transparency, and replicability in the Discourse-Historical Approach.