Publication Details
Abstract
This article develops a theoretically dense account of discourse as a multilevel object of linguistic, social, cognitive and institutional analysis. Discourse is treated neither as a mere sequence of sentences nor as a decorative term for communication. It is approached as a regulated field of meaning production in which texts, speakers, interpretive contexts, genres, power relations and forms of knowledge become mutually connected. The article addresses three core questions. First, what is discourse and how does it differ from text? Second, which functions does discourse perform in social life? Third, which theoretical foundations make discourse analysis a distinct research paradigm rather than a loose set of interpretive techniques? The argument draws on pragmatics, systemic-functional linguistics, Bakhtinian dialogism, Foucauldian theory, critical discourse analysis and socio-cognitive approaches. The central claim is that discourse organizes meaning through a double movement. It makes utterances intelligible inside a situation, and at the same time it stabilizes broader social classifications such as normality, expertise, identity, legitimacy and exclusion. The charts and tables are used as conceptual visualizations. They do not present survey data; they condense a theoretical coding of the literature into a form suitable for comparative reading.