A CiteSpace-Based Analysis of the Application of Discourse Analysis in Legal Texts

Abstract

Discourse analysis has been applied for several decades in legal text research. To clarify the development tendencies and research foci of this field, this study takes the Web of Science core collection as the data source and deploys CiteSpace scientometric analysis technology to clarify the development tendencies and research foci of this field. As it turns out, the research status, hotspots, and frontiers in this field have been identified. The analysis of recent literature reveals that: (1) Universities in Europe and the United States, particularly renowned law schools, are the most active research institutions, while there is little close contact between writers and institutions. (2) The interaction between law and society is the research’s primary focus, and critical discourse analysis reveals a significant development trend. (3) Cross-legal and cross-linguistic integration are the main areas of research that coincide with global demands. To throw some light on potential future studies, this article uses a bibliometric technique to review prior publications on the topic.