Gee: What is Discourse

Summary

The video explains the concept of 'discourse' as outlined by linguist James Paul Gee. It uses a baseball game as an example to illustrate how discourses function as identity kits, shaping how we act and communicate in different social contexts. The speaker highlights the distinction between primary discourse, learned at home, and secondary discourses, acquired in spaces like schools. Gee's concept of dominant discourse, particularly academic discourse, is emphasized as a pathway to societal advancement. The video concludes by discussing the importance of meta-knowledge in critically understanding and transforming discourses.

Takeaways

• ⚾ Discourse can be seen as a kind of identity kit, helping individuals be recognizable and understood in specific social contexts.
• 👕 At a baseball game, behaviors like dressing and speaking in a certain way reflect literacy in that discourse (e.g., yelling at players or ordering food).
• 🍽️ Different discourses apply to different settings. For example, using baseball language in a fancy restaurant or classroom is inappropriate.
• 🏡 Primary discourse is acquired in the home through interactions with family, friends, and community, shaping early communication.
• 🎓 Secondary discourse is learned in external environments, such as school, where academic discourse becomes crucial for communication.
• 📚 Academic discourse is a dominant discourse, as literacy in it often leads to social and economic advancement, like higher earnings for college graduates.
• 🌐 Over time, individuals become literate in many different secondary discourses, depending on the social contexts they navigate.
• 🔍 Meta-knowledge involves stepping outside of a discourse to understand its structure, meaning, and impact on communication.
• 🛠️ Developing meta-knowledge allows individuals to transform or hybridize discourses, opening new ways of creating meaning.
• 👩‍🏫 Educators can foster critical understandings in students about how discourses shape their lives and communication skills.

Q & A

What is the definition of 'discourse' according to G in the video?

According to G, discourse is a kind of 'identity kit' or set of instructions that makes people recognizable to others in specific social contexts. It gives meaning to what we do in those contexts.

How does the speaker relate discourse to the context of a baseball game?

The speaker explains that at a baseball game, there are certain ways of dressing, speaking, and behaving that make sense in that context. These are part of the 'discourse' of being a fan at the game.

What happens if discourse from one context is used in a different context, like a fancy restaurant?

If discourse from one context, such as the casual language of a baseball game, is used in a different context, like a fancy restaurant, it becomes inappropriate and nonsensical, highlighting how discourse is specific to social environments.

What is the difference between primary and secondary discourse?

Primary discourse is acquired at home or within one's immediate community through interactions with family, friends, and community members. Secondary discourse is learned in other social spaces, such as schools, and includes things like academic discourse.

How does G define 'academic discourse'?

Academic discourse refers to the ways of reading, writing, and communicating that are typical for school settings. It involves specific types of language used between students and teachers.

What is meant by 'dominant discourse' according to G?

Dominant discourse refers to the discourse that one becomes literate in to advance in society. For example, academic discourse is considered a dominant discourse because becoming proficient in it can help individuals succeed academically and economically.

Why is becoming literate in academic discourse important for societal advancement?

Becoming literate in academic discourse is important because it is linked to social mobility. For example, a college graduate is likely to earn significantly more over their lifetime than someone without a diploma, demonstrating the economic advantage of mastering this discourse.

What is 'meta knowledge' of a discourse, and how is it developed?

Meta knowledge of a discourse is the ability to step outside of a discourse, look back at it, and understand its internal workings—how it shapes meaning, language, and interactions. This knowledge is developed by becoming literate in multiple discourses and reflecting on them.

How can meta knowledge of discourses be useful in educational settings?

Meta knowledge of discourses can help students critically understand the discourses that shape their lives. This understanding can enable them to transform or hybridize discourses, leading to new avenues for meaning-making and learning.

What does G suggest about the relationship between discourses and power or opportunity?

G suggests that discourses, especially dominant ones like academic discourse, are closely tied to power and opportunity. Mastery of certain discourses provides access to higher social and economic status, as evidenced by the increased earning potential of those proficient in academic discourse.