Discourse Analysis

 Discourse Analysis

Definition of Discourse Analysis

Discourse analysis is the study of language in use. It does not study isolated words or single sentences, but studies connected language in real situations such as conversations, speeches, stories, classroom talk, interviews, newspapers, advertisements, and social media. In other words, it studies how people use language to communicate meaningfully in real life.

Cohesion and Coherence

Discourse analysis focuses on how sentences are linked together to form meaningful communication. For example, the sentences:

“Ravi went to the market. He bought vegetables. Then he returned home.”

These sentences together form a discourse. The word “he” refers to Ravi and connects the sentences. This connection is called cohesion. Cohesion is created through pronouns, repetition, conjunctions, and reference words.

Another important concept is coherence, which means logical flow of ideas. For example:

“She was hungry. She cooked food. She ate dinner.”

This is coherent because the ideas are logically connected. But look at the

following sentences:

“She was hungry. The train was late. Blue is a colour.”

This is not coherent because the ideas do not connect meaningfully.

Discourse analysis also studies spoken interaction. For example, in a classroom:

Teacher: “What is a noun?”
Student: “A naming word.”
Teacher: “Correct.”

This pattern of question–answer–feedback is a discourse structure. Discourse analysis explains how communication is organized in real situations.

Context plays a major role in discourse. The sentence “It’s cold here” can mean different things in different situations. It may mean a simple statement, or it may mean “close the window” or “switch on the heater.” Discourse analysis explains how meaning changes with situation, place, and intention.

Thus, discourse analysis shows that language is not only about grammar and words, but about communication, context, meaning, interaction, and society. It helps us understand how people use language to express ideas, emotions, power, identity, and relationships in real life.