This book provides an introduction to the aims, theories and practices of critical discourse analysis (CDA). It is mainly concerned with the linguistic aspects of CDA. It provides an introduction to the different types of language analysis that are employed in CDA (frequency analysis, coversation, transitivity and reference, and figurative language, for example) and seeks to provide readers with the skills to apply them in different contexts to various types of texts: political speeches, marketing pieces, literary works, advertising, multimedia persuasive texts, discourses on race, gender, and politics.