Discourse
The term discourse denotes using language or talk generally, treating a subject verbally at length or making a speech.
According to Halliday, the term discourse designates a unit of language larger than a sentence and which is firmly rooted in a specific context. There are many different types of discourse under this heading, such as academic discourse, legal discourse, media discourse, etc. Each discourse type possesses its own characteristic linguistic features. This understanding of the term is generally accepted in discourse analysis.
In strictly semiotic terms, the word refers to the discursive level of meaning as opposed to the narrative level. A discourse is established through the interaction of two dimensions of language:
(1) the figurative dimension, relating to the representation of the natural world
(2) the thematic dimension, relating to the abstract values actualized in an utterance
In this sense, all manifestations of language can be envisaged as a discourse.
