Discourse in Different Languages
Discover 'Discourse' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Discourse is a powerful word that signifies a conversation or discussion, particularly one that is intellectual or profound. It's a term that transcends cultures and languages, and its significance is universal. Throughout history, discourse has played a crucial role in shaping societies, influencing ideologies, and driving change.
From ancient Greek philosophers engaging in dialectic to modern-day political debates, discourse has been the engine of cultural and intellectual progress. It's a tool that allows us to express our thoughts, share our perspectives, and learn from one another. Understanding discourse in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and foster global understanding.
For instance, in French, 'discours' refers to a formal speech or address, while in Spanish, 'discurso' can also mean a political ideology or doctrine. In German, 'Diskurs' not only means discourse but also implies a structured system of knowledge or thought.
Below, you'll find a list of translations of discourse in various languages, from Arabic to Zulu. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural scholar, or simply curious, this list is sure to broaden your horizons and deepen your appreciation for the power of discourse.
Discourse
Discourse in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | diskoers | ||
| Amharic | ንግግር | ||
| The word "ንግግር" can also mean "language" or "speech". | |||
| Hausa | magana | ||
| The Hausa word 'magana' can also mean 'speech' or 'language'. | |||
| Igbo | okwu | ||
| Igbo "okwu," also a "problem" or "difficulty," derives from "kwo," "to speak," as problems often arise from conflicting viewpoints. | |||
| Malagasy | kabary | ||
| In the Merina dialect, "kabary" also means "news" or "story". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nkhani | ||
| 'Nkhani' can mean both 'discourse' and 'tale', illustrating a commonality between spoken and written words in the Chichewa language. | |||
| Shona | hurukuro | ||
| The Shona word "hurukuro" can also refer to a speech or an oral tradition. | |||
| Somali | hadal | ||
| The word "hadal" also means "speech" or "conversation" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | puo | ||
| "Puo" can also refer to a meeting for discussing and resolving problems or disputes. | |||
| Swahili | hotuba | ||
| The word "hotuba" comes from the Arabic word "khuṭbah", meaning "oration" or "sermon", and can also refer to a formal speech or address. | |||
| Xhosa | intetho | ||
| Intetho can also mean discussion, topic, conversation, chat, speech, address, oration, lecture, sermon, debate, deliberation, dialogue, communication, exchange, interaction, dealings, proceedings, transactions, affairs, business, matters, events, incidents, occurrences, happenings, actions, activities, or doings. | |||
| Yoruba | ibanisọrọ | ||
| The word 'ibanisọrọ' in Yoruba originally meant 'a gathering of people to talk', hence its use for 'discourse'. | |||
| Zulu | inkulumo | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'inkulumo' also refers to a formal address or an oration. | |||
| Bambara | jɛmukan | ||
| Ewe | nuƒoƒo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | disikuru | ||
| Lingala | diskur | ||
| Luganda | emboozi | ||
| Sepedi | polelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔkasa a wɔde ma | ||
Discourse in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الحوار | ||
| The word "الحوار" (discourse) in Arabic is derived from the root word "حور" which means "to turn or revolve". | |||
| Hebrew | שִׂיחַ | ||
| The Hebrew word 'שִׂיחַ' derives from a root meaning 'to converse' and also refers to a type of desert shrub. | |||
| Pashto | خبرې | ||
| The word "خبرې" can also mean "news" or a "conversation" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | الحوار | ||
| The word "الحوار" (discourse) in Arabic is derived from the root word "حور" which means "to turn or revolve". | |||
Discourse in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ligjërim | ||
| "Ligjërim" is also used to refer to a lecture or a sermon in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | diskurtsoa | ||
| "The Basque word "diskurtsoa" ultimately derives from the Latin "discursus" (meaning "running about, conversation, treatise"), from the verb "discurrere" (meaning "to run about")." | |||
| Catalan | discurs | ||
| The Catalan word "discurs" derives from the Latin "discursus", meaning "running about" or "talking at length". | |||
| Croatian | diskurs | ||
| The Croatian word "diskurs" also means "discussion", "conversation", and "argumentation." | |||
| Danish | diskurs | ||
| In Danish, "diskurs" can also refer to a written assignment, discussion, or argumentation, or to a particular way of speaking or writing | |||
| Dutch | discours | ||
| "Discours" can also mean "conversation" or "speech" in Dutch. | |||
| English | discourse | ||
| The word "discourse" shares a Latin root with "curriculum" and "disciple," hinting at its original meaning of "to run back and forth." | |||
| French | discours | ||
| Discourse originally meant “running to and fro or spreading out,” and comes from the Latin discurrere, which means “to run here and there.” | |||
| Frisian | diskoers | ||
| The word "diskoers" in Frisian is derived from the Old Frisian word "discurs", which means "exchange of words" or "conversation". | |||
| Galician | discurso | ||
| In Galician, "discurso" can also refer to a sermon or a public announcement. | |||
| German | diskurs | ||
| In German, the word "Diskurs" can also refer to a speech or a public debate. | |||
| Icelandic | orðræða | ||
| In Old Norse, orðræða meant 'speech', 'conversation', 'debate' and 'story'. | |||
| Irish | dioscúrsa | ||
| The Greek word θεωρία (theoria), from which "dioscúrsa" derives, originally referred to a religious festival with competitions and sacrifices. | |||
| Italian | discorso | ||
| In Italian, "discorso" can also refer to a public speech or a philosophical treatise, or, more coloquially, to a long and convoluted explanation. | |||
| Luxembourgish | discours | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Discours" (discourse) is a loanword from French and has the same meaning in both languages. | |||
| Maltese | diskors | ||
| In Maltese, "diskors" can also mean "conversation" or "discussion". | |||
| Norwegian | diskurs | ||
| In Norwegian, the word "diskurs" can also mean a small group of people speaking or writing. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | discurso | ||
| In Portuguese, "discurso" can refer to political speeches, formal talks, or a person's manner of speaking. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | deas-ghnàth | ||
| "deas-ghnàth" is a compound noun made up of "deas" meaning "south" and "gnàth" meaning "habit". This suggests that discourse was originally thought of as a "southern habit". | |||
| Spanish | discurso | ||
| From the Latin discursus, meaning "act of running about" and "speech." | |||
| Swedish | samtala | ||
| The word "samtala" has two roots, "sam" (together) and "tala" (to speak). | |||
| Welsh | disgwrs | ||
| The word 'disgwrs' in Welsh shares its Indo-European root with 'disagree' and 'discuss', suggesting a shared etymology related to division or separation. | |||
Discourse in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дыскурс | ||
| Bosnian | diskurs | ||
| In Bosnian, 'diskurs' also refers to a written or spoken work that presents a particular perspective or argument. | |||
| Bulgarian | дискурс | ||
| Bulgarian "дискурс" also means "speech" or "conversation". | |||
| Czech | diskurz | ||
| The word "diskurz" in Czech can also refer to the discussion of the rules in card games. | |||
| Estonian | diskursus | ||
| The word "diskursus" in Estonian comes from the Latin word "discursus", meaning "running about" or "conversation". | |||
| Finnish | diskurssi | ||
| The word "diskurssi" in Finnish derives from the Latin word "discursus", meaning "running to and fro" or "conversation". | |||
| Hungarian | társalgás | ||
| The Hungarian word "társalgás" (discourse) is derived from the verb "társalog" (to talk), which in turn comes from the noun "társ" (companion). | |||
| Latvian | diskurss | ||
| In Latvian, the word "diskurss" can also refer to a religious sermon or lecture. | |||
| Lithuanian | diskursas | ||
| "Diskursas" in Lithuanian is a cognate of "discourse" in English and also means a "spinning motion." | |||
| Macedonian | дискурс | ||
| The word "дискурс" (discourse) in Macedonian can also refer to a narrative or a speech. | |||
| Polish | rozprawiać | ||
| "Rozprawiać" can also mean "to debate" or "to argue" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | discurs | ||
| In Romanian, "discurs" can also refer to a speech or sermon. | |||
| Russian | дискурс | ||
| In Russian, the term "дискурс" can also refer to a type of speech that is used in a specific situation or by a particular group of people. | |||
| Serbian | дискурс | ||
| In Serbian, "дискурс" also means "argumentation" or "disputation". | |||
| Slovak | diskurz | ||
| The word "diskurz" in Slovak can also mean "discussion" or "conversation". | |||
| Slovenian | diskurz | ||
| The word "diskurz" in Slovenian means "discourse", but can also refer to a conversation, a lecture, or a philosophical treatise. | |||
| Ukrainian | дискурс | ||
| The word "discourse" in Ukrainian derives from the Latin "discursus," meaning "running back and forth," and can also refer to a "course of action" or "way of life." | |||
Discourse in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বক্তৃতা | ||
| বক্তৃতা shares its etymology with the English word "lecture", and comes from the same Latin root as "diction" and "dictation". | |||
| Gujarati | પ્રવચન | ||
| Gujarati's "પ્રવચન" derives from Sanskrit's "प्रवचन" meaning 'exposition' or 'instruction', and also means 'lecture' or 'sermon'. | |||
| Hindi | प्रवचन | ||
| "प्रवचन" (discourse) is derived from the root "वच" (to speak), conveying the act of speaking or expressing ideas. | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರವಚನ | ||
| "ಪ್ರವಚನ" originates from Sanskrit and refers to a sermon or religious lecture, as well as a literary or scientific treatise. | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രഭാഷണം | ||
| The Malayalam word "പ്രഭാഷണം" can also mean "preaching" or "oration", highlighting its versatility in conveying different forms of verbal communication. | |||
| Marathi | प्रवचन | ||
| The word 'प्रवचन' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'प्रव्रजन', which means 'to go forth' or 'to preach'. | |||
| Nepali | प्रवचन | ||
| प्रवचन means preaching, sermon, oration, but in Buddhism refers to the sermons of Buddha | |||
| Punjabi | ਪ੍ਰਵਚਨ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਪ੍ਰਵਚਨ" has its root in the Sanskrit word "प्रवचन," which means not just "discourse," but also "conversation" or "preaching." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කතිකාව | ||
| Tamil | சொற்பொழிவு | ||
| "சொற்பொழிவு" means "the act of speaking publicly" but also "a written composition on a particular subject." | |||
| Telugu | ఉపన్యాసం | ||
| The word "ఉపన్యాసం" comes from the Sanskrit "upa" meaning "near" and "nis+as" meaning "to sit down", which translates to "sitting down near someone to hear them speak". | |||
| Urdu | گفتگو | ||
| "گفتگو" also means "conversation" or "dialogue" in Persian. | |||
Discourse in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 话语 | ||
| 话语 can mean not only "discourse", but also "remarks" or "comments" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 話語 | ||
| 話語 originally meant “to speak out” | |||
| Japanese | 談話 | ||
| The word "談話" can also mean "discussion" or "conversation" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 담화 | ||
| "담화" originally meant 'casual conversation', but now it also refers to 'academic discourse'. | |||
| Mongolian | яриа | ||
| The Mongolian word "яриа" can also refer to public speaking, debates, or lectures. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဟောပြောချက် | ||
| The Pali word "dhamma desanā" originally means religious sermon that preaches the Buddha's teachings. | |||
Discourse in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ceramah | ||
| The word "ceramah" also has the alternate meaning of "a talk given to promote a product or service". | |||
| Javanese | wacana | ||
| The Javanese word "wacana" is an alternate spelling of "wacono," which means "reading", | |||
| Khmer | សុន្ទរកថា | ||
| The word សុន្ទរកថា is derived from Sanskrit and can also refer to a type of poetic discourse or a beautiful story. | |||
| Lao | ການສົນທະນາ | ||
| Malay | wacana | ||
| The word "wacana" originates from Sanskrit and has alternate meanings such as "text", "speech", and "conversation" in various Indonesian dialects. | |||
| Thai | วาทกรรม | ||
| The Thai word 'วาทกรรม' can also refer to 'rhetoric', a style of language designed to influence opinion. | |||
| Vietnamese | đàm luận | ||
| In Sino-Vietnamese, "đàm luận" (談論) also means "to chat" or "to gossip". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | diskurso | ||
Discourse in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | diskurs | ||
| It also means a "speech act". | |||
| Kazakh | дискурс | ||
| The Kazakh word "дискурс" can also refer to a speech, lecture, or talk. | |||
| Kyrgyz | дискурс | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "дискурс" also means "conversation" or "negotiation". | |||
| Tajik | гуфтугӯ | ||
| Turkmen | çykyş etmek | ||
| Uzbek | nutq | ||
| The Uzbek word "nutq" is ultimately derived from the Arabic word "nuṭq", meaning "speech" or "utterance". | |||
| Uyghur | discourse | ||
Discourse in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | haʻiʻōlelo | ||
| Haʻiʻōlelo translates as both 'discourse' and 'language' and is composed of two words: haʻi (to speak, to utter), and ʻōlelo (language). | |||
| Maori | korero | ||
| Korero can also refer to stories or legends, as the Maori language does not differentiate between discourse, oral literature and history. | |||
| Samoan | lauga | ||
| Lauga in Samoan comes from the Proto-Polynesian word *laufa meaning 'to speak'. It can also mean 'speech' or 'language'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | talumpati | ||
| Talumpati is derived from the root word 'tumpi', which means 'to pierce' or 'to penetrate'. | |||
Discourse in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | arst’äwi | ||
| Guarani | discurso rehegua | ||
Discourse in International Languages
| Esperanto | diskurso | ||
| The Esperanto word "diskurso" derives from the Latin word "discursus", which means "running to and fro" and figuratively "conversation" or "discussion". | |||
| Latin | sermo | ||
| In Latin, 'sermo' can also mean 'conversation' or 'language'; in the plural, it can also refer to 'rumors' or 'gossip'. As in English, the word can also be used metaphorically to talk about someone's manner of speaking or way of thinking. | |||
Discourse in Others Languages
| Greek | ομιλία | ||
| The Greek word "ομιλία" can also refer to "conversation" or "the faculty of speech" | |||
| Hmong | kev daws tau | ||
| "Kev daws tau" literally translates to "to spread out and say." | |||
| Kurdish | axaftin | ||
| The word "axaftin" in Kurdish can also mean "dialogue" or "conversation". | |||
| Turkish | söylem | ||
| The word "söylem" in Turkish originates from the Arabic word "sawlama" meaning "to question" or "to ask". | |||
| Xhosa | intetho | ||
| Intetho can also mean discussion, topic, conversation, chat, speech, address, oration, lecture, sermon, debate, deliberation, dialogue, communication, exchange, interaction, dealings, proceedings, transactions, affairs, business, matters, events, incidents, occurrences, happenings, actions, activities, or doings. | |||
| Yiddish | דיסקאָרס | ||
| Although it's often assumed to be borrowed from French due to the similarity in spelling and pronunciation, 'דער דיסקאָרס' ('der diskors') is actually a loan from German, where it means 'speech' or 'sermon'. | |||
| Zulu | inkulumo | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'inkulumo' also refers to a formal address or an oration. | |||
| Assamese | বক্তৃতা | ||
| Aymara | arst’äwi | ||
| Bhojpuri | प्रवचन के बारे में बतावल गइल बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޑިސްކޯސް އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | प्रवचन | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | diskurso | ||
| Guarani | discurso rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | diskurso | ||
| Krio | diskɔs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گوتار | ||
| Maithili | प्रवचन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯗꯤꯁꯀꯣꯔꯁ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | thusawi a ni | ||
| Oromo | haasaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଲୋଚନା | ||
| Quechua | discurso nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रवचनम् | ||
| Tatar | сөйләү | ||
| Tigrinya | ዲስኩር ዝብል ጽሑፍ ኣቕሪቡ። | ||
| Tsonga | mbulavulo | ||