Discourse analysis is a qualitative research methodology that studies language in use, examining how spoken or written communication reflects and shapes beliefs, attitudes, and social relationships. Rather than treating responses as simple data points, discourse analysis attends to structure, framing, word choice, and conversational context to reveal how participants construct meaning. In consumer and market research, discourse analysis helps teams understand not just what customers say about a brand or product, but how they talk about it, which often surfaces assumptions and motivations that direct questioning misses. It sits within the broader qualitative research tradition alongside thematic analysis, narrative inquiry, and grounded theory.