Sociological Interpretation of Statements: Micro & Macro Levels
Socio-Hermeneutic Analysis and Sociological Interpretation of Statements
Theoretical and Methodological Basis
- General theory of information systems
- Linguistic theory and comparative logic
- Theories of individual and social action
Analysis Units, Codes, and Context
| Informal Usage | Structural Usage | Socio-Hermeneutic Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Words, signs, content units, etc. | Codes, rules of composition, etc. | Use of speech, intentions, motivations, etc. |
| Omit the subject of the enunciation | Subject without history (synchronic analysis) | Subject with history (diachronic analysis) |
| Literature (non-existent outside of text) | Autonomy of the text from the context | Relevance of social context (micro/macro) on the text |
Preferred Application and Scope
| Preferred Application | Scope of Analysis | Purpose of Analysis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statistical | Analysis of the mass media and its products | Explanatory text description | Search for stereotyped communications |
| Linguistic | Analysis of patterns of cultural behavior | Explanation of the text | Dominant model search |
| Sociological | Motivational analysis of social behavior | Understanding the text; Discursive construction of meaning | Find the meanings of the actions of social subjects |
Returning to the example, the motivations to make each speech differ from one to another, and it is seen as a game where the position of each is decided in the relations. Watson represents modern, meritocratic discourse, illustrated by the petty bourgeoisie, and Holmes represents the traditional aristocratic speech by appealing to intuition and the natural disposition of intelligence.
The socio-hermeneutic level takes into account aspects of discourse crucial to knowing how a certain individual, group, or community constructs social reality, and how their social discourses give identity to these subjects. This analysis is capable of obtaining knowledge of the individual and social situation of the subject that produced it, which means a preference for the action producer (language information) of the actors over the action produced (textual). It is important for the investigator to know the content and discursive codes of subjects in poverty, including the situations (social context) in which they occur, to explain and justify them.
Sociological Interpretation of Statements
In the sociological interpretation of speech, the intent is essentially analyzed. The specific and subjective objective allows for the analysis of communication on two levels: the micro level and the contextual macro level.
Micro-level: This takes into account the time or context in which the discursive event is produced or recognized (the researcher’s access to speech). In present society, mass media, such as television interviews with outstanding and non-outstanding individuals, experts, etc., often stifle social discourse. Bringing social discourse that is not professionalized to the researcher presents a micro-discursive situation where intentions and interests intersect (the subjects under study and social situations that enable and encourage such interactions, in addition to the influences of mass media).
If access is through the text, we have a reading as one approach and other underlying subjective intentions in the text. Furthermore, the reader’s intention and their own interests and motivations also influence the interpretation.