Discourse Analysis
A discourse is behavioral unit. It is a set of utterances which constitute a recognizable speech event e.g. a conversation, a joke, a sermon, an interview etc. In its historical and etymological perspective the term is used in different perspectives e.g.
Verbal communication. All this fine talk.
Direct / indirect speech. To chat. In order to narrow down the range of possible meanings, the modern linguists have given different views or definitions. Example: Discourse is written as well as spoken: every utterance assuming the a speaker and a hearer as discourse.
(Benvenisle, 1971: 208-9)
An individualizable group of statements and sometimes as a regulated practice that counts for a number of statements.
(Foucault, 1972: 80)
The specification with the term is that ‘discourse must be used with its social purpose’ this is the main specification of discourse. The brief difference between discourse and text, I think, will facilitate to better understand the term Discourse.
Difference between Discourse and Text
Discourse Analysis focuses on the structure of naturally spoken language as found in conversation interviews, commentaries and speeches.
Text analysis focuses on the structure of written language, as found in such text as essays, notices, road signs and chapters.
(Crystal. 1987)
Some scholars talk about ‘spoken or written discourse’ other about ‘spoken or written text’
(Crystal. 1987)
It means discourse and text can be used almost synonymously. But a distinction is always there and that in discourse has some social purpose while text fulfills the function of communication of some meaning only. As suggested by Michel Stubbs (1983) who treats text and discourse as more or less synonymous.
Hawthorn (1992) says text may be non-interactive where as a discourse is