A Corpus-Led Study into how ‘Design’ is Represented in Design Thinking Research

Language use reflects discourse communities’ ideologies and maintains their power and legitimacy (P&L). Corpus-led methods aid analysis into how communities generate P&L. In the first attempt to use such methods to analyse design thinking research (DTR), this study finds the community does not speak on negative aspects of ‘design’. Instead ‘design’ is represented in an honorific context, aiding generation of P&L. The insights may aid critical reflection in the DTR community. The results mirror existing findings in other design research areas, necessitating the need for further studies.