discourse vs tale

discourse

noun
  • A formal lengthy exposition of some subject, either spoken or written. 

  • Expression in words, either speech or writing. 

  • An institutionalized way of thinking, a social boundary defining what can be said about a specific topic (after Michel Foucault). 

  • Any rational expression, reason. 

verb
  • To exercise reason; to employ the mind in judging and inferring; to reason. 

  • To engage in discussion or conversation; to converse. 

  • To write or speak formally and at length. 

tale

noun
  • A rehearsal of what has occurred; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story. 

  • The fraudulent opportunity presented by a confidence man to the mark or victim. 

  • A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration. 

  • An account of an asserted fact or circumstance; a rumour; a report, especially an idle or malicious story; a piece of gossip or slander; a lie. 

verb
  • To reckon; consider (someone) to have something. 

How often have the words discourse and tale occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )