Diskurssin

Diskurssin is the genitive singular form of the Finnish noun diskurssi, a borrowing meaning "discourse." As a grammatical form, diskurssin marks possession or relation, functioning like English "of the discourse" in phrases such as "diskurssin analyysi" (analysis of the discourse) or "diskurssin muutokset" (changes of the discourse). It contrasts with the partitive singular diskurssia and the nominative singular diskurssi; related forms include the plural nominative diskurssit and the genitive plural diskurssien.

Beyond its grammatical role, diskurssi denotes a broad concept in linguistics, social sciences and humanities referring to structured ways of talking, writing and thinking that shape meaning, social practices and power relations. Discursive analysis examines how language constructs identities, norms and knowledge. The term appears in diverse traditions, from conversation analysis and pragmatics to critical discourse analysis and the work of theorists such as Michel Foucault, who treated discourses as systems that govern what can be said and thought in particular historical contexts.

In Finnish academic and public discourse, diskurssin is commonly used in compound expressions and scholarly titles to indicate focus on the relational or possessive aspect of discourse, for example examining the effects, boundaries or history of a particular discourse. Its usage follows standard Finnish inflectional patterns and is part of broader discussions about language, ideology and social practice.