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The word discourse comes from Latindiscursus which means conversation

orspeechDefinition of discourse as a noun:

1. Verbal expression in speech or writing.

2. Verbal exchange; conversation. 3. A formal, lengthy discussion of a

subject, either written or spoken.TheFreeDictionary

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Definition of discourse as a verb: 1. To speak or write formally and at length.

2. To engage in conversation or discussion; converse. v.tr.Archaic To narrate or discuss. TheFreeDictionaryThe plural form: discourses = codes, languages, ways of

speaking of a topic

Cook (1990:7) also claims that short conversations oreven groans might be equally rightfully nameddiscourses

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DISCOURSE

DISCOURSES

A CONVERSATION OR TEXT

A COLLECTION OF TEXTS ORCONVERSATIONS

A SHARED WAY OF TALKING OR CREATINGTEXTS (CODE)

CODES, LANGUAGES, WAYS OF SPEAKINGA TOPIC

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A discourse is "a language or system of

representation that has developed socially in

order to make and circulate a coherent set ofmeanings about an important topic area."

John Fiske (1987). Television Culture. New York:

Methuen

http://en.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?title=John_Fiske&action=edithttp://en.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?title=Television_Culture&action=edithttp://en.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?title=Television_Culture&action=edithttp://en.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?title=John_Fiske&action=edit

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A discourse is "a language or system of representation that hasdeveloped socially in order to make and circulate a coherent set ofmeanings about an important topic area."

John Fiske (1987). Television Culture. New York: Methuen.

In the social sciences, a discourse is considered to be aninstitutionalized way of thinking, a social boundary defining whatcan be said about a specific topic. Discourses are seen to affect ourviews on all things; in other words, it is not possible to escapediscourse. For example, two distinctly different discourses can beused about various guerrilla movements describing them either as"freedom fighters" or "terrorists". In other words, the chosen discourse

delivers the vocabulary, expressions and perhaps also the styleneeded to communicate. (Wikipedia)

analysing texts involves much more than attending to whateveris 'in' those texts. The point is not to get the text to lay bare itsmeanings (or its prejudices), but to trace some of the threads thatconnect that text to others." (MacLure, 2003: 43)

http://en.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?title=John_Fiske&action=edithttp://en.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?title=Television_Culture&action=edithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_scienceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_scienceshttp://en.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?title=Television_Culture&action=edithttp://en.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?title=John_Fiske&action=edit

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Spoken word

Written word

Paralinguistic features Intonation

Gestures, facial expressions

Images, signs, drawings

Text organization, layout, fonttype

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Propositional meaning(makes an assertion about the world. A proposition has a "truth value"(i.e. it can be true or false)Non-propositional meaning conveys something without asserting it.Attitudes, feelings, opinions fall into this category. Anything that isn't a proposition doesn't have a "truthvalue" and can't be assessed as true or false.

Figurative meaning (the metaphorical, idiomatic, or ironic sense of a word or expression, incontrast to its literal meaning.)

Argumentative strategiesComparison & Contrast Cause & Effect Evaluation Concession & Rebuttal Definition & Reinterpretation Negation Citing Support Analogy

Presuppositions and expectations Individual and group identity Social and political structures Power and prestige relations

http://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Comparison_and_Contrast.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Cause_and_Effect.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Evaluation.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Concession_Rebuttals.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Reinterpretation.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Negation.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Citing_Support.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Analogy.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Analogy.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Citing_Support.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Citing_Support.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Citing_Support.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Negation.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Reinterpretation.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Reinterpretation.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Reinterpretation.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Reinterpretation.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Concession_Rebuttals.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Concession_Rebuttals.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Concession_Rebuttals.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Concession_Rebuttals.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Evaluation.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Cause_and_Effect.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Cause_and_Effect.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Comparison_and_Contrast.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Comparison_and_Contrast.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Comparison_and_Contrast.htmlhttp://rhetoric.ln.edu.hk/Argumentative/Comparison_and_Contrast.html

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Cohesion - grammatical relationship between parts of asentence essential for its interpretation;

Coherence - the order of statements relates one anotherby sense.

Intentionality - the message has to be conveyeddeliberately and consciously; Acceptability - indicates that the communicative product

needs to be satisfactory in that the audience approves it;

Informativeness - some new information has to beincluded in the discourse;

Situationality - circumstances in which the remark is madeare important;

Intertextuality - reference to the world outside the text orthe interpreters' schemata;

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Discourse Analysis is how written, oraland visual texts are used in specific

contexts Discourse analysis is a primarily linguistic

study examining the use of language byits native population whose majorconcern is investigating languagefunctions along with its forms, producedboth orally and in writing.

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Discourse analysts examine spoken,signed and written language, and mayfocus on any aspect of linguisticbehaviour, from the study of particularpatterns of pronunciation, through wordchoice, sentence structure and semanticrepresentation, to the pragmatic analysisof how we organize speech encounters(and any combination of these inspoken, written and signed discourse).

http://litd.psch.uic.edu/personal/jwiley/literacy.pdfhttp://litd.psch.uic.edu/personal/jwiley/literacy.pdf

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Critical Discourse Analysis is a type ofdiscourse analytical research that

primarily studies the way social powerabuse, dominance, and inequality areenacted, reproduced, and resisted bytext and talk in the social and political

context (Van Dijkt, T. 1993)

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Talk shows Newspapers

Telephone conversations Articles

Casual conversations E.mails

Classroom interactionPolitical speeches

Lectures

Trials