discours

Discours is a French noun that broadly means speech, discourse, or the act of speaking. In everyday French it can refer to a formal address delivered to an audience, a public speech, or a written piece that expresses arguments or ideas. In English-language scholarship the term is often used when discussing French sources or when referring to discourse in a general sense, particularly in fields such as linguistics, philosophy, and social sciences.

Etymology and usage have long been tied to rhetoric and the communication of ideas. The word derives from Old French and ultimately from Latin discursus, meaning a running to and fro or a discussion. In modern French, discours covers both spoken and written forms, including political oratory, sermons, essays, and commentary. The plural form is the same as the singular: un discours, des discours.

Discours also appears in academic contexts as a label for a body of ideas that shapes how subjects are talked about within a culture. In literary and political analysis, scholars distinguish between particular discourses (a single speech or a set of statements) and discourse as a broader system of communication that constructs knowledge and social reality. The concept has been central to discourse analysis and critical discourse studies, where attention is paid to how language enacts power, ideology, and social relationships.

Notable associations include the French literary and philosophical tradition (for example, Discours de la méthode by Descartes) and the broader study of discourse (discourse) in various disciplines. Related terms include rhetoric, public address, and critical discourse analysis.