DENOTATION OF DISCOURSE IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Background. Over the past thirty years, the concept of “discourse” has been closely integrated into many scientific disciplines, and therefore its determination is complicated. Researchers cannot come to a common opinion regarding this linguistic category. An overview of discourse in a diachronic perspective allows us to explore diverse approaches to its study and identify the most relevant definition of this linguistic term.
 Purpose. In this paper, an attempt is made to interpret the term discourse by examining it in a diachronic aspect.
 Materials and methods. The research is based on general scientific methods (generalization, analysis) and a descriptive method.
 Results. As a result of the analysis of the theoretical material, the authors summarize that there is no generally accepted interpretation of this linguistic category in the linguistic literature. The researchers agree and disagree in some ways, which is reflected in the inconsistency of their opinions. However, the review of scientific papers offered in this study makes it possible to get a summary view of linguists on this issue. Summarizing the data gained, the authors give their interpretation of the concept of “discourse”. Moreover, the authors come to the conclusion that a wide range of scientific applications of the term and the vector of scientific integration that is gaining popularity makes a significant contribution to the development of discourse theory as an interdisciplinary field of research.
 Practical implications. The results of this study can be applied by researchers of scientific discourse, as well as in the preparation of textbooks on academic writing, the style of scientific text.