The definition of this particular word can be very different, depending on the context that it is used in. There is a "normal" definition of the word, but there are also some academic definitions of the words that are quite different from the normal one or ones.
The first definition of discourse is simply conversation -- a verbal exchange of ideas.
The second definition is closely related to this one. In this definition, a discourse is sort of like a speech or an essay. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, for example, wrote some discourses on government.
The truly academic meaning is much harder to get across, especially in a few words. I guess maybe the simplest way of saying it is that a discourse is something like an ideology. If this is the definition you're looking for, let me know and I'll try to be clearer.
No comments:
Post a Comment