ABSTRACT
This chapter presents selected findings, theoretical orientations, and a view of the research agenda for discourse analysis in institutions. Here discourse is not equated to text. Discourse, when designated with the uncountable noun, is understood as the processes of production and reception of meaning through the use of a variety of semiotic means to attain communicative goals while text is the product which is generated in communication and constitutes a basic unit of meaning. In some research projects the database may consist only of texts, while in others it also includes other types of information. In either case, however, research questions can be asked just about texts or about discourse processes and the social practices where they develop.
