discorso

Discorso is an Italian noun with two main senses. In everyday use, it denotes a formal speech delivered to an audience, such as a politico’s discorso, a ceremonial address, or a public remark by a figure of authority. In a broader sense, the word also means discourse in the sense of language and communication—how ideas are expressed, structured, and interpreted in speech and writing.

In linguistics and literary studies, discorso corresponds to the English term “discourse” and is used to analyze how language constructs meaning within texts and conversations. Classic distinctions include discorso diretto (direct speech), discorso indiretto (indirect speech), and discorso indiretto libero (free indirect discourse), which describe different ways of rendering reported speech in narratives. Beyond narrative technique, discorso also covers genres, registers, rhetoric, and the social functions of language in communication, media, education, and policy.

Historically, discorso has played a central role in rhetoric and public life, where speeches can shape opinion and mobilize action. In contemporary scholarship, the study of discorso intersects with philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and media studies, examining how power, ideology, and social relations are produced and contested through language.