Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Readers Response #15


In the article “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction” by James Paul Gee introduces his definition of a discourse. He argues that you cannot “more or less” a discourse, you are either viewed as a member or you aren’t one at all.

Gee’s article can relate to Swales article “The Concept of Discourse Community”. Both authors make it their main point to give their own definition of what a discourse truly is. Swales has his clear six characteristics of what a discourse is and Gee takes a different approach by introducing the fact that everyone is born into a discourse and any after that is only secondary.

Before You Read:

1. Two activities that I take part in that are very different are yearbook and a hobby of mine, following certain television shows. I think they both differ when it comes to relation. There can always be a possibility that a popular television show can be brought up in yearbook or be covered as a story.

QD:

1. When Gee says that you can speak perfect grammar and yet be wrong I believe he is trying to explain that perfect grammar can differ with your location or the discourse community that you are a part of. I think this does for the most part conflict with what we are taught in school. Educators teach only one side and to them that is the only real “right way”.

Overall, I really enjoyed Gee’s argument. I think that in a way he has a good point to make. I think that there will never be a set “right way” even if it has been portrayed that way. I thought the article was very interesting and liked the stand that Gee took.

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