Compare methods

	Appraisal Analysis	Critical Discourse Analysis
Field	Linguistics	Qualitative
Family	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Year of origin	2005	Late 1970s–1990s (systematised ~1979–1995)
Originator	J. R. Martin and P. R. R. White	Norman Fairclough; Teun A. van Dijk; Ruth Wodak
Type	Qualitative analysis of evaluative and stance-bearing language	Qualitative research method
Seminal source	Martin, J. R., & White, P. R. R. (2005). The Language of Evaluation: Appraisal in English. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN: 9781403904096	Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and Social Change. Polity Press.
Aliases	Appraisal Framework Analysis, Evaluation Analysis, Attitude-Engagement-Graduation Analysis	CDA, Critical Linguistics, Discourse-Historical Approach, Dialectical-Relational Analysis
Related	4	6
Summary	Appraisal analysis is the systematic study of evaluative language — how speakers and writers express feelings, make judgements, value things, take a stance toward other voices, and turn the volume of their evaluations up or down. Developed by James Martin and Peter White within the interpersonal metafunction of systemic functional linguistics, the appraisal framework codes evaluative meaning along three systems: ATTITUDE (the kinds of feeling expressed), ENGAGEMENT (how the text positions itself among alternative voices and viewpoints), and GRADUATION (how evaluations are intensified or softened, sharpened or blurred). The method makes the often-invisible work of evaluation explicit, showing how texts construe stance and build alignment with their readers.	Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is a qualitative method that examines how language in texts and talk constructs, sustains, and challenges relations of power, ideology, and social inequality. Drawing on linguistics, social theory, and critical philosophy, CDA treats discourse not merely as communication but as social practice — a site where dominance is reproduced and where resistance can be articulated. Developed in the late twentieth century by Norman Fairclough, Teun van Dijk, and Ruth Wodak, among others, CDA is applied to political speeches, media texts, policy documents, educational materials, and institutional interactions.