discoursanalytische

Discoursanalytische refers to a family of analytical approaches within linguistics and the social sciences that treat discourse as the central object of study. The term is used in German-language scholarship to denote methods and theoretical perspectives that examine how language constructs social reality in everyday talk, media texts, political speech, and institutional communications.

Methodologically, discoursanalytische work tends to be qualitative and text-based, focusing on the way discourse shapes knowledge, power, and social identities. Researchers analyze features such as argumentation, genre, conversational structure, turn-taking, speech acts, metaphor, and coherence, often using transcript data, media texts, policy documents, or online discourse. Some scholars also apply corpus tools for larger-scale patterns.

Theoretical grounding often draws on discursive theories (for example, Foucault, Bakhtin, Fairclough) and on critical discourse analysis; the field is related to but distinct from purely sociolinguistic or pragma-linguistic approaches. It emphasizes the social and ideological functions of language and the situated nature of meaning.

Applications of discoursesanalytische approaches include media studies, politics, education, gender and race studies, and science communication. In German-language scholarship, diskursanalytische approaches often align with critical discourse analysis but maintain methodological autonomy.

Limitations include interpretation-dependence, the need for transparent methodological decisions, and risks of bias, counterbalanced by triangulation and explicit coding schemes.

See also Diskursanalyse; Kritische Diskursanalyse.