Text vs. Discourse — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on September 26, 2023
Text is a written or printed work, often with a specific author and structure. Discourse is spoken or written communication, including its context and social interactions.
Difference Between Text and Discourse
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Text: Refers to a written or printed work. Discourse: Encompasses spoken or written communication.
Text: Typically has a defined structure, such as paragraphs or chapters. Discourse: Includes the surrounding context and social interactions.
Comparison Chart
Medium
Written or printed material
Spoken or written communication
Structure
Has a defined structure (e.g., paragraphs)
May lack a specific structure
Authorship
Often created by an individual author
Can involve multiple participants
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Independence
Can exist independently of its context
Includes context and social interactions
Academic Focus
Common in literature and academic writing
Examined in fields like linguistics, sociology
Compare with Definitions
Text
"Text" refers to written or printed material.
Discourse
"Their discourse on the topic was enlightening."
Text
"The textbook contains valuable information."
Discourse
"Public discourse shapes societal norms."
Text
"She read the text aloud during the lecture."
Discourse
Discourse is a generalization of the notion of a conversation to any form of communication. Discourse is a major topic in social theory, with work spanning fields such as sociology, anthropology, continental philosophy, and discourse analysis.
Text
Essential for academic research and reading.
Discourse
Verbal expression in speech or writing
Political discourse.
Text
A book or other written or printed work, regarded in terms of its content rather than its physical form
A text which explores pain and grief
Discourse
Verbal exchange or conversation
Listened to their discourse on foreign policy.
Text
The main body of a book or other piece of writing, as distinct from other material such as notes, appendices, and illustrations
The pictures are clear and relate well to the text
Discourse
A series of connected remarks about a subject.
Text
A written work chosen or set as a subject of study
Too much concentration on set texts can turn pupils against reading
Discourse
A formal, lengthy treatment of a subject, either written or spoken.
Text
A text message
Just give us a call or send us a text
Discourse
(Archaic) The process or power of reasoning.
Text
Fine, large handwriting, used especially for manuscripts.
Discourse
To speak or write formally and at length.
Text
Send (someone) a text message
If she was going to go she would have texted us
Discourse
To engage in conversation or discussion; converse
“The two men walked around the city and discoursed on its antiquities” (Michael Wood).
Text
The original words of something written or printed, as opposed to a paraphrase, translation, revision, or condensation.
Discourse
To narrate or discuss.
Text
The words of a speech appearing in print.
Discourse
Verbal exchange, conversation.
Text
Words, as of a libretto, that are set to music in a composition.
Discourse
(uncountable) Expression in words, either speech or writing.
Text
Words treated as data by a computer.
Discourse
(countable) A formal lengthy exposition of some subject, either spoken or written.
The preacher gave us a long discourse on duty.
Text
A text message.
Discourse
(countable) Any rational expression, reason.
Text
The body of a printed work as distinct from headings and illustrative matter on a page or from front and back matter in a book.
Discourse
An institutionalized way of thinking, a social boundary defining what can be said about a specific topic (after Michel Foucault).
Text
One of the editions or forms of a written work
After examining all three manuscripts, he published a new text of the poem.
Discourse
(obsolete) Dealing; transaction.
Text
Something, such as a literary work or other cultural product, regarded as an object of critical analysis.
Discourse
(intransitive) To engage in discussion or conversation; to converse.
Text
A passage from the Scriptures or another authoritative source chosen for the subject of a discourse or cited for support in argument.
Discourse
(intransitive) To write or speak formally and at length.
Text
A passage from a written work used as the starting point of a discussion.
Discourse
To debate.
Text
A subject; a topic.
Discourse
To exercise reason; to employ the mind in judging and inferring; to reason.
Text
A textbook.
Discourse
To produce or emit (musical sounds).
Text
To send a text message to
She texted me when she arrived at the airport.
Discourse
The power of the mind to reason or infer by running, as it were, from one fact or reason to another, and deriving a conclusion; an exercise or act of this power; reasoning; range of reasoning faculty.
Difficult, strange, and harsh to the discourses of natural reason.
Sure he that made us with such large discourse,Looking before and after, gave us notThat capability and godlike reasonTo fust in us unused.
Text
To communicate by text message
He texted that he would be late.
Discourse
Conversation; talk.
In their discourses after supper.
Filling the head with variety of thoughts, and the mouth with copious discourse.
Text
To key or send text messages
She was texting in class and missed what was said.
Discourse
The art and manner of speaking and conversing.
Of excellent breeding, admirable discourse.
Text
A writing consisting of multiple glyphs, characters, symbols or sentences.
Discourse
Consecutive speech, either written or unwritten, on a given line of thought; speech; treatise; dissertation; sermon, etc.; as, the preacher gave us a long discourse on duty.
Text
A book, tome or other set of writings.
Discourse
Dealing; transaction.
Good Captain Bessus, tell us the discourseBetwixt Tigranes and our king, and howWe got the victory.
Text
(colloquial) A brief written message transmitted between mobile phones.
Discourse
To exercise reason; to employ the mind in judging and inferring; to reason.
Text
(computing) Data which can be interpreted as human-readable text.
Plain text
Discourse
To express one's self in oral discourse; to expose one's views; to talk in a continuous or formal manner; to hold forth; to speak; to converse.
Bid me discourse, I will enchant thine ear.
Text
A verse or passage of Scripture, especially one chosen as the subject of a sermon, or in proof of a doctrine.
Discourse
To relate something; to tell.
Text
(by extension) Anything chosen as the subject of an argument, literary composition, etc.
Discourse
To treat of something in writing and formally.
Text
(printing) A style of writing in large characters; also, a kind of type used in printing.
German text
Discourse
To treat of; to expose or set forth in language.
The life of William Tyndale . . . is sufficiently and at large discoursed in the book.
Text
(transitive) To send a text message to; i.e. to transmit text using the Short Message Service (SMS), or a similar service, between communications devices, particularly mobile phones.
Just text me when you get here.
I'll text the address to you as soon as I find it.
Discourse
To utter or give forth; to speak.
It will discourse most eloquent music.
Text
(intransitive) To send and receive text messages.
Have you been texting all afternoon?
Discourse
To talk to; to confer with.
I have spoken to my brother, who is the patron, to discourse the minister about it.
Text
(dated) To write in large characters, as in text hand.
Discourse
Extended verbal expression in speech or writing
Text
A discourse or composition on which a note or commentary is written; the original words of an author, in distinction from a paraphrase, annotation, or commentary.
Discourse
An address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service)
Text
The four Gospels, by way of distinction or eminence.
Discourse
An extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic;
The book contains an excellent discussion of modal logic
His treatment of the race question is badly biased
Text
A verse or passage of Scripture, especially one chosen as the subject of a sermon, or in proof of a doctrine.
How oft, when Paul has served us with a text,Has Epictetus, Plato, Tully, preached!
Discourse
To consider or examine in speech or writing;
The article covered all the different aspects of this question
The class discussed Dante's `Inferno'
Text
Hence, anything chosen as the subject of an argument, literary composition, or the like; topic; theme.
Discourse
Carry on a conversation
Text
A style of writing in large characters; text-hand also, a kind of type used in printing; as, German text.
Discourse
Talk or hold forth formally about a topic;
The speaker dissertated about the social politics in 18th century England
Text
That part of a document (printed or electronic) comprising the words, especially the main body of expository words, in contrast to the illustrations, pictures, charts, tables, or other formatted material which contain graphic elements as a major component.
Discourse
"Discourse" encompasses spoken or written communication.
Text
Any communication composed of words.
Discourse
Communication that includes context and interactions.
Text
A textbook.
Discourse
Explored in fields like linguistics and sociology.
Text
To write in large characters, as in text hand.
Text
The words of something written;
There were more than a thousand words of text
They handed out the printed text of the mayor's speech
He wants to reconstruct the original text
Text
A passage from the Bible that is used as the subject of a sermon;
The preacher chose a text from Psalms to introduce his sermon
Text
A book prepared for use in schools or colleges;
His economics textbook is in its tenth edition
The professor wrote the text that he assigned students to buy
Text
The main body of a written work (as distinct from illustrations or footnotes etc.);
Pictures made the text easier to understand
Text
Written words in books, articles, or documents.
Common Curiosities
Where are texts commonly found?
In literature, academic papers, and everyday documents.
Why is understanding text important?
It's crucial for reading, research, and communication.
What is a text?
A text is written or printed material, such as books or documents.
How is discourse different from text?
Discourse includes social interactions and context, while text is a written form.
Can discourse involve multiple people?
Yes, it often does and can include discussions or debates.
Is a text always written by one author?
Not necessarily, but it often has a single author.
Can a text exist without context?
Yes, it can stand alone.
What does "discourse" mean?
Discourse refers to spoken or written communication, including its context.
Is discourse studied in any specific fields?
Yes, it's examined in linguistics, sociology, and other social sciences.
Why is understanding discourse important?
It helps us analyze language use and its impact on society.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
