There
are two types of definition traditionally given for the term “discourse.”
Formal definitions typically characterize discourse as a unit of coherent
language consisting of more than one sentence; functional definitions
characterize discourse as language in use (Schiltin, 1994). Taken alone, both
of these definitions are deficient. A piece of discourse in context can consist
of as little as one or two words, as in “Stop” or “No Smoking.” Alternatively,
a piece of discourse can consist of hundreds of thousands of words as in the
case of very long novel. Usually, a piece of discourse falls somewhere in
between these two extremes. The notion of “sentence” is not always
relevant-especially when we consider spoken discourse. Likewise, the phrase
“language in use” is so general that it can be almost meaningless. It
presupposes that we know what “language” consist of and that a piece of
discourse is an instance of putting elements of language to use.
The
most satisfying definition of discourse is one that combines these two
perspectives: A piece of discourse is an instance of spoken or written language
that has describable internal relationships of form and meaning (e.g, all the
relevant situational, social, and cultural factors) in which the piece of discourse
occurs. Using a language entails the ability to both interpret and produce
discourse in context in spoken and written communicative interaction which is
why we assign such a central role to discourse in our discussion of frameworks
that should inform language teaching.
