This post includes definitions and examples of Critical Discourse Analysis, discourse analysis and discourse in Linguistics.
What is Discourse?
Discourse is the verbal or written exchange of ideas.
Any unit of connected speech or writing that is
A. longer than a sentence and
B. that has a coherent meaning and
C. a clear purpose
is referred to as discourse.
Discourse is an important study for the English language because it allows individuals to express their ideas and thoughts effectively, understand and interpret the perspectives and opinions of others, and build relationships through effective communication.
Examples of Discourse
Example 1
An example of discourse is when you discuss something with your friends in person or over a chat platform.
Example 2
Discourse can also be when someone expresses their ideas on a particular subject in a formal and orderly way, either verbally or in writing.
Example 3
Speaking on the phone, conversation, interview, putting markers, turn-taking, group discussion, using advertisement, people interaction, jokes, speech, also transferring information.
Example 4
Examples of expressive discourse include letters, diary entries, and stream-of-consciousness writing.
Origin of the Concept of Discourse
The word discourse is derived from the Latin prefix dis- meaning “away” and the root word currere meaning “to run”. Discourse, therefore, translates to “run away” and refers to the way that conversations flow.
To study discourse is to analyze the use of spoken or written language in a social context.
Most of what we know of discourse today is thanks to the French philosopher, writer, and literary critic Michel Foucault. He was the one who developed and popularized the concept of discourse.
You can read about his use of the term in The Archeology of Knowledge and Discourse on Language (1969).
What is Discourse Analysis?
A way of analyzing connected speech and writing. (Zellig Harris 1952)
Discourse analysis uses the language presented in a corpus or body of data to draw meaning.
This body of data could include a set of interviews or focus group discussion transcripts.
While some forms of discourse analysis center on the specifics of language (such as sounds or grammar), other forms focus on how this language is used to achieve its aims.
As Wodak and Krzyżanowski (2008) put it:
“discourse analysis provides a general framework to problem-oriented social research”.
Basically, discourse analysis is used to conduct research on the use of language in context in a wide variety of social problems (i.e., issues in society that affect individuals negatively).
It examines patterns of language across texts and considers the relationship between language and the social and cultural contexts in which it is used.
Example of Discourse Analysis
Discourse analysis could be used to assess how language is used to express differing viewpoints on financial inequality and would look at how the topic should or shouldn’t be addressed or resolved, and whether this so-called inequality is perceived as such by participants.
What makes discourse analysis unique is that it posits that social reality is socially constructed, or that our experience of the world is understood from a subjective standpoint. Discourse analysis goes beyond the literal meaning of words and languages
For example, people in countries that make use of a lot of censorship will likely have their knowledge, and thus views, limited by this, and will thus have a different subjective reality to those within countries with more lax laws on censorship.
Purpose of Discourse Analysis
The purpose of discourse analysis is to investigate the functions of language (i.e., what language is used for). It finds how meaning is constructed in different contexts, which, to recap, include the social, cultural, political, and historical backgrounds of the discourse.
For example, if you were to study a politician’s speeches, you would need to take into account various facts. First, situate these speeches in their context, which would involve looking at the politician’s background and views, the reasons for presenting the speech, and the history or context of the audience. You also need to dig into the country’s social and political history. (just to name a few – there are always multiple contextual factors).
Discourse analysis can also tell you a lot about power and power imbalances, including how this is developed and maintained, how this plays out in real life (for example, inequalities because of this power), and how language can be used to maintain it.
For example, you could look at the way that someone with more power (for example, a CEO) speaks to someone with less power (for example, a lower-level employee).
Critical Discourse Analysis
Finally, critical discourse analysis (or discourse analysis) is a research method for studying written or spoken language about its social context. Lastly, It aims to understand how language is used in real-life situations.
