Analyzes how politicians use rhetoric and specific framing to influence public opinion and legitimize their actions. 4. Structuralist vs. Post-Structuralist Perspectives

In general linguistics, discourse refers to any cohesive unit of language longer than a single sentence. It focuses on how sentences connect to create meaning in context, such as in conversations, speeches, or written texts. Linguists analyze (e.g., "however," "actually") to understand how speakers organize their thoughts and signal relationships between ideas. 2. Michel Foucault’s Philosophical "Discours"

Viewed discourse as a set of stable rules (like grammar) that dictate how meaning is made.

This interdisciplinary field examines how language functions in social contexts. It is used to deconstruct various forms of communication:

Discourse creates "truths." For example, the discourse of medicine or law establishes certain ways of talking about the body or justice that become accepted as objective reality.

It acts as a form of social practice that produces and maintains power structures. By defining what is "normal" versus "abnormal," discourse exerts control over individuals. 3. Discourse Analysis (DA)