In linguistics, discourse is natural spoken or written language in context, especially when complete texts are being considered discourse refers to a unit of language

In linguistics, discourse is natural spoken or written language in context, especially when complete texts are being considered.
discourse refers to a unit of language longer than a single sentence. The word discourse is derived from the latin prefix dis- meaning "away" and the root word currere meaning "to run". Discourse, therefore, translates to "run away" and refers to the way that conversations flow. To study discourse is to analyze the use of spoken or written language in a social context
Discourse in context may consist of only one or two words as in stop or no smoking. Alternatively, a piece of discourse can be hundreds of thousands of words in length, as some novels are. A typical piece of discourse is somewhere between these two extremes
The study of discourse is entirely context-dependent because conversation involves situational knowledge beyond just the words spoken
Discourse studies look at the form and function of language in conversation beyond its small grammatical pieces such as phonemes and morphemes. This field of study, is interested in how larger units of language—including lexemes, syntax, and context—contribute meaning to conversations
Discourse analysis (DA) is a broad term for various qualitative methods that explore the structure and expression of language within its social and cultural context. It looks at the linguistic content (what's said) and language use (how it's used) in a given text to convey meaning in different social settings.
So, discourse analysts explore how relationships between people can shape the language they use. And also how language presents different perspectives and understandings of the world, helping us understand how it can help create and maintain social reality, power relations, and even our own identities
Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is a type of discourse analysis that focuses on the way language is used to influence opinions, beliefs, and actions. It looks at how language is used to construct and maintain power dynamics, to oppress certain groups, and to shape our understanding of the world. CDA is often used to study how language is used in political contexts, such as speeches, press releases, and news reports.