Claims to be written as an introduction to discourse analysis for those who already have some experience in linguistics, however I having no background whatsoever in linguistics found it both informative and easy to understand. While still not the type of reading one sits back on the couch to enjoy, Gee does a fantastic job taking complex topics and breaking them down into easy to understand and apply concepts with a touch of humor here and there. His use of Yu-Gi-Oh as a discourse was especially amusing as I can picture many academics having to look it up to figure out what it is. Very useful, very interesting: A definite recommend, especially for those doing any discourse analysis at the Master level.

Too many scare quotes! "Seriously."

To be honest I am still not sure I know what discourse analysis is or how to do it after finishing this book.

A great little guide for scholars working in discourse analysis. If you're looking for how to figure out what people are *really* saying by doing intensive, word-by-word analysis of their speech patterns, this is the book for you.