Discourse Analysis

Discourse analysis studies language above the sentence — how stretches of spoken and written language are organized, used, and made coherent in context.

Scope

It covers cohesion and coherence, conversation analysis, genre, and critical discourse analysis of language and power.

Core questions

• How is language organized beyond the sentence?
• How do texts achieve coherence?
• How is talk structured in interaction?
• How does discourse reflect and shape power?

Key concepts

• Cohesion and coherence
• Conversation analysis
• Genre
• Critical discourse analysis
• Turn-taking
• Context

Key theories

Cohesion

Halliday and Hasan analysed the linguistic resources that make a text hang together as a unified whole.

Approaches to discourse

Schiffrin systematized the major frameworks for analysing discourse.

History

Discourse analysis developed from functional linguistics (Halliday), conversation analysis, and critical traditions (Fairclough, van Dijk), studying language use in social context.

Debates

Formal versus critical discourse analysis

Whether to focus on the linguistic organization of texts or on discourse as a site of power.

Key figures

• M. A. K. Halliday
• Ruqaiya Hasan
• Deborah Schiffrin

Seminal works

• halliday-hasan-1976
• schiffrin-1994

Frequently asked questions

What is discourse analysis?

The study of language in use beyond the sentence — how texts and conversations are structured, coherent, and socially situated.