10.15 Discourse, discourse, Primary Discourse, Secondary Discourses, transcripts = and discourse analysis

We spent class talking over James Gee's introduction to Discourse.  These were your observations at the conclusion of our discussion.

Literacy is connected to Discourse

Little d discourse is language in use

Big D Discourse includes beliefs, ways of thinking = a pattern for performing an identity

Dominant Discourse is the identity/ways of being/language  that is "enforced" by culture

Primary Discourse = values beliefs ways of relating to the world we learn as children

Discourse is not just what you say but how you say it

We learn secondary Discourses from school, media, work peer groups etc

You need to understand Discourse before you can research it

Our interpretations derive from our Primary Discourse

Your own discourse will influence the way you “hear” and “say” things = consciously and unconsciously

There is translation (difference) between languages – and between Discourses

School teaches Dominant Discourse

Transcripts – we hear what we expect

A style and structure are part of Discourse

 

You nailed that discussion!

 

We also went over the assignment sheet for the short analysis project.  We will be working on discourse analysis (analyzing the way speakers/writers use language as a way to understand how their Discourse (assumptions, values, beliefs, ways of doing, being, saying) shapes and /or is shaped by Dominant Discourse. 

 

We ended class by listing some communities/groups which have Discourses. Here is the list.

School

Most sports/games have Discourse communities (football, baseball, soccer, scrabble. . .)

Churches

Nationalities

Ethnicities

Professions (Doctors, lawyers, accountants, teachers, steel workers, farmers. . .)

Politicians – by party & positions within parties

Students

Gamers (online/game systems) by game genre or gaming group 

Music communities

Fan communities, including different fan fiction groups

Interviewers (for the news, for celebrities, for research, for jobs = all different discourses)

So, with all that in mind, this is what to do for next class.

Read: look through the three transcripts (posted to the right).  Pay special attention to the Gaming transcript, as it is the one we will analyze as an example, in class. 

Blog 12: Write about some of the interesting "moves" or language features you notice in the Gaming transcript.  What Discourses do Ch and B seem to belong to?  What evidence do you have that they belong to those Discourses?  What research questions might you ask about what is going on in this transcript?  (One important criterion for a good question for a set of data is that  there is evidence in the data to support an answer.)