Discourse vs text

Discourse vs. Text Is it discourse analysis Or Text analysis?

. There has been some confusion in the literature regarding the distinction between
discourse analysis and text analysis. It is a result of the confusion in the terms
discourse and text. Introduction
3. The Confusion Some researchers label their analysis discourse analysis, while others
claim they are doing text analysis, but the difference is often inconsistent. Some claim
to make clear distinctions between discourse and text, but a closer look reveals that
their distinctions do not hold.
4. Examples: Widdowson (1973) Text: is made up of sentences. - A text is made up of
sentences having the property of grammatical cohesion. -Text Analysis: deals with
cohesion. Discourse: is the use of such sentences. - A discourse is made up of utterances
having the property of coherence. - Discourse analysis: investigates coherence.
5. Problems with the distinctions: It contradicts the known and well- established
distinction between sentence and utterance in the literature. Widdowson did not
maintain this distinction himself: In 1978 he argued that discourse is made up of
sentences having the properties of cohesion & coherence!
6. discourse.Another distinction Text: Text is defined in terms of its being a physical
product. Meaning is not found in text. Discourse: Discourse is viewed as a process.
Meaning is derived through the readers interaction with the text
7. Problems with such distinctions: There is considerable overlap between the findings
of studies claiming to look at text as product and of those claiming to investigate
discourse as process. Thus, it is not necessary to maintain a distinction between
discourse analysis and text analysis on the basis of investigating a process as opposed
investigating a product.
8. Others Text: written Text analysis: investigates written form Discourse: Spoken
Discourse analysis: analyzes spoken form.