ABSTRACT
Discourse analysis, or discourse studies, is a general term for a number of approaches to analyse the use of written, vocal, or sign language or any significant semiotic event. It is often defined as ‘a discipline that comprises the theory and analysis of text and talk in virtually all disciplines of the humanities and social sciences’ (van Dijk, 1997, p. xi). Explaining discourse analysis is complicated by the fact that many different definitions of discourse have been developed by different disciplines. The objects of discourse analysis – discourse, writing, conversation, and communicative event – are variously defined in terms of coherent sequences of sentences, prepositions, speech, or turns-at-talk.
