Language in use stretches beyond isolated sentences. Discourse is connected language as it occurs in context—conversations, speeches, articles, rituals—shaped by speakers’ goals and social settings.

The term covers both the product (a stretch of text or talk) and the process of producing and interpreting it. Discourse involves topic management, turn-taking, genre conventions, and intertextual links to other discourses. Analysts examine how power, identity, and ideology surface in patterns of language use.

Classroom discourse, media discourse, and institutional encounters each show characteristic structures. Studying discourse requires attention to what is said, what is left unsaid, and how form relates to social action. The unit of analysis is larger than the sentence by definition.

• Connected language use in social context
• Includes conversation, texts, and institutional talk
• Involves genre, topic, and interaction structures
• Analyzed for social as well as linguistic patterns