Discourse analysis: Definition, types and examples

You know you're not talking to your friend like you're talking to a grocery store cashier, or communication with your family is different from communication with strangers. The field of discourse is interested in these situations as context and human relations. 

The language you use carries traces of you and reflects your identity, but this process of language use mostly manifests itself subconsciously. It is at this point that discourse analysis lends you a helping hand to explore the world of discourses.

What is discourse analysis?

Discourse analysis (DA) is a type of analysis that examines how language is used in a social context using a variety of research methods. 

People use different languages and speak according to different vocabularies in different social environments. This not only constructs discourse but also shapes culture by regulating social relations. Therefore, discourse analysis does not only examine sentences or expressions; it also tries to describe the structural process of language and language use.

Discourse analysis types

Discourse analysis includes different methods in terms of focusing on communication and language use. To share the most common of these with you:

Types of discourse analysis

Textual analysis

Textual analysis examines the written part of the discourse. Although it is generally used to describe the linguistic features of written texts, you can also examine the transcript of any conversation. With this method, researchers can reveal word choices, style of expression, use of expressions and idioms, formal or informal language, and cultural reflections in any text.

Critical discourse analysis (CDA)

The focus of critical discourse analysis is the language usage in the construction of power relations. They are interested in the reflection of social order in language and what can be done to understand these social variables. Examining the language usage of teachers toward students, bosses toward their employees, and politicians toward the public can be given as examples of this.

Conversational analysis

This analysis studies daily conversations. Many factors of speech are taken into consideration. For example, what is your speaking and listening frequency, how much body language do you use, or how much eye contact do you make? All of these are important factors that determine the course of communication and the construction of social relations.

Pragmatic analysis

Pragmatics, as a branch of linguistics, is the study of language in context. Rather than examining words simply, their meanings and messages in the real world are examined along with their dimensions. For example, saying someone's name while getting angry and shouting someone's name with joy are two situations that have the same meaning in the literal sense of the word but have different consequences in the pragmatic sense.

How to use discourse analysis

There are many methods by which you can perform discourse analysis. Still, as in any analysis, the analysis has two stages: data collection, that is, the initial stage, and data evaluation, that is, the analysis stage.

Initial Stages

First of all, the purpose and scope of the research are determined. This is the basis for the data to be collected and the methodologies to be chosen. If your foundation is strong, the structure you build on will also be strong.

You should find the source that best suits your research question. Social media posts, user comments, news articles, scientific articles, interviews, or surveys are well-known qualitative data sources. But again, these options should not be chosen randomly. Not every social media or newspaper is the same and may not fit your goals for your research. Factors such as who uses these environments and texts also need to be examined.

Finally, make the data you have collected ready for analysis. If you are going to perform your analysis on a computer, if your data is a hard copy, you will need to convert it to a soft copy.

Analysis Stages

Know your data. Data is far from being simple; there are many social, cultural and historical factors in its background. This changes the use, choice, source and target of language.

Analyze the structure of the text. Outline the text, and identify key concepts. Sort out the elements that make up the meaning and start coding. For this, you need to read the text well and rearrange it so that it is not overlooked.

Now that everything is ready, all that remains is to understand the discourse expressions. Analysis is made by taking into account many features such as the accuracy, consistency, style, tone, etc. of an expression. Discourse analysis is completed by determining the general characteristics and situational structure of the speech. What follows is post-analysis and enters the interpretation part.

When to use the discourse analysis

Discourse analysis may have different needs depending on which research field you are in. Because there are many different fields, such as linguistics, sociology, psychology, and education. But in general, if you ask when to use a discourse analysis, the following can be said:

Approaches to discourse analysis

Discourse analysis can be examined as two main methods and their subbranches. The first method deals with language use, and the second one deals with socio-cultural studies.

Example of discourse analysis

For example, a politician is speaking at an election rally. In the speech, he promises to his voters about the economy. These promises include tax regulations, factory openings, and job creation. The politician speaks in a persuasive language, using rhetoric rather than simple expressions. He very often presents counterexamples and criticizes his opponents.

Now, if you want to perform a discourse analysis on this political speech:

Advantages of discourse analysis

The benefits of discourse analysis may vary depending on the purpose you use it for, but in general terms, the benefits are as follows:

Frequently asked questions about discourse analysis.

You can take a look at the FAQ below to read answers to questions directly related to discourse analysis.

Final words

This article has been prepared to provide an introduction to discourse analysis and detailed information about the subject. For this purpose, first of all, a definition of discourse analysis was provided in the introduction. Then, the types you can use in research were mentioned. 

Afterward, the method of using discourse analysis was explained step by step. When you may need it is explained in another topic. Two main approaches were then presented. Finally, examples of discourse analysis and advantages were explained. Thus, the article touched upon many useful points and made you informed about discourse analysis in research.