- Question: Gee defines Discourses (capital D) as “saying (writing)-doing-being-valuing, believing combinations” (6). Why is this “combination” important for Gee? Gee offers a couple examples. Offer your own example of a Discourse in your response.
Response: The combination of “saying (writing)-doing-being-valuing, [and] believing” (6) is important to Gee because it acts as a way to integrate different social identities. It can act as a costume, meaning that it will produce different results in different settings. He claims that people can not be taught the different combinations for different settings, they have to practice and learn for themselves. For example, my Discourse at home would be much more relaxed than my Discourse at worked. At home, I could use slang, slouch, and chew with my mouth wide open if I wanted to. At work, I have to maintain a professional Discourse. I have to speak politely, calmly, and I most definitely could not chew with my mouth wide open.
- Question: Gee breaks down Discourse into some different types or categories. What is the difference between a primary and a secondary Discourse? Why is Gee’s distinction between dominant and nondominant discourses important?
Response: A primary Discourse is the one we are first introduced to. If you are from Spain, you might grow up speaking Spanish, which would be part of your primary Discourse. It is whatever you have been taught to do while growing up, mostly taking place in your home. A secondary Discourse is a Discourse we acquire as we enter larger institutions, other organizations outside of the home. For example, someone might obtain a secondary Discourse for when they are at church that is much different from their primary Discourse at home. Gee’s distinction between dominant and nondominant Discourses is important because it incorporates two social classes. A dominant Discourse is a secondary Discourse you may use while trying to show off your wealth or your class. A nondominant Discourse would be a secondary Discourse involves connecting with a social network without any social goods or wealth. A good example of a nondominant Discourse would be Gee’s bar example on page 5.
- Question: Cuddy’s research explores nonverbal communication, as she tells us (para. 4). Why is this nonverbal behavior important to those who would be in the Discourse of business? Be sure to provide evidence from Cuddy in your response.
Response: Nonverbal communication, or body language, is important to those who would be in the Discourse of business because you need to have a certain type of body language to look professional. For example, someone who is slouching, much like they would in their primary Discourse, may appear much less professional than someone who is sitting upright. Cuddy’s job interview experiment reviewed that, only looking at nonverbals, the people with the high power poses, or more of a professional and confident posture and body language, got the job over the people in low power poses.
Cuddy paragraph 15
I underlined this sentence because I found it to be Cuddy’s thesis and purpose for creating this TED Talk
Cuddy paragraph 22
I was questioning, and almost arguing with Cuddy. She did not go into detail about how many people she used for her study, therefore it is hard to trust the percentages that she came up with.
Gee page 5
I circled and underlined different aspects of the text to argue with. I did not agree with Gee’s idea that a tattooed man at a bar might speak with more slang or be less proper than someone wearing “pressed designer jeans” (5).
Gee page 6
I circled and underlined different parts of the text that I did not agree with. I do not agree that wealth has a direct correlation with the way you speak. Just because the mother is on welfare, does not mean that she would not talk the same as someone of the middle class.
