Diskursas

Diskursas (discourse) is a concept used in linguistics, sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies to refer to ways of communicating and organizing knowledge, beliefs, and social practices within a given domain. It encompasses spoken, written, and multimodal production and is concerned not only with language structure but with the social functions of language, including how certain ideas become accepted as legitimate, normal, or authoritative. A discourse frames what can be said, who may speak, and what counts as evidence or truth in a particular context.

Etymology: from Latin discursus, through Old French discours; in Lithuanian usage, diskursas denotes both everyday talk and larger systems of meaning shaped by institutions and power relations.

Approaches: Discourse analysis investigates how discourse is constructed and how it influences behavior and social outcomes. The field includes Bakhtin's dialogism, Foucault's notion of discursive formations, and critical discourse analysis (CDA) associated with Fairclough, van Dijk, and Wodak. Swales' concept of discourse communities emphasizes shared norms and genres. Methods combine qualitative text analysis with quantitative corpus methods.

Applications: In politics, media, science, education, and law, discourse shapes policy debates, identity, and legitimacy. Examples include political rhetoric, media framing, and scientific genres. Understanding diskursas helps explain power dynamics and cultural change.