Discourse Analysis | Cohesion definition & Coherence Meaning

What is Discourse?

Discourse is a verbal or written communication between people that goes beyond a single sentence. Discourse is more than just language. Discourse looks at the overall meanings conveyed by language in context. Discourse is a behavioral unit. It is a set of utterances that constitute a recognizable speech event for example a conversation, a joke, a sermon, an interview, etc. Discourse is written as well as spoken: Every utterance assumes a speaker and a hearer as Discourse.

The word “Discourse” is usually defined as “Language beyond the sentence” and so the analysis of discourse is typically concerned with the study of language in text and Conversation.

What is Discourse Analysis?

Discourse analysis focuses on the structure of naturally spoken language as found in conversation interviews, commentaries, and speech. It is an effort to interpret what the writer or speaker intended to convey in a sensitive social context.

Discourse analysis is a process in which the reader and listener’s minds are working up on the linguistic feature of the utterance to grasp the intended meaning of the writer or speaker.

Even if the utterance or sentences are ungrammatical the discourse analysis makes us grasp the intent and meaning.

We can even cope with the text, written in English, which we could not produce ourselves and which appears to break a lot of rules of the English language. Yet we can build an interpretation. The following example provided by Eric Nelson contains all kinds of errors, yet it can be understood.

Read More with examples: Discourse Analysis