Running head: DISCOURSE ANALYSIS 1

Discourse Analysis

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Discourse Analysis

Typically, discourse analysis considers how written, and spoken language enacts social as

well as cultural ideas and identities. In that sense, the book An Introduction to Discourse

Analysis explores the field as well as presents Paul Gee's exclusive integrated tactic, which

entails not only the theory of language use but also a strategy of study. In essence, the text offers

the full resource for learners researching discourse examination. Overall, Gee's book integrates

ideas from several approaches as well as fields, such as applied linguistics, psychology,

communication, and anthropology, to aid learners and researchers to formulate their opinions in

Discourse and take part in discourse examination. Therefore, the paper presents a review of Gee's

text in accordance to discourse analysis.

To begin with, Gee presents exciting information regarding the Discourse with capital 'D'

in his text. According to Gee, Discourses with big "D" are socially acknowledged associations

amid ways of utilizing language, acting, reasoning, valuing, plus interacting, in the "correct"

areas as well as at the "correct" times with "correct" objects. Gee further clarifies that these

should be associations that can be utilized in identifying an individual as a member of a socially

significant social network or team. In the same direction, Gee also sheds light on the word

Discourse with small 'd' by claiming that it implies language-in-use or language stretches such as

stories or conversations. However, the author maintains that big 'D' discourses are more than

language since they have other stuff.

Additionally, according to Gee, there are countless Discourses in any contemporary,

technological, urban-based community: for instance, being something as overall as a kind of

African-American or even modern British young second-cohort affluent female. In precise,

Discourses entail being a type of middle-class American, doctor, industry employee,

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administrator, teacher, or even a student of literature or physics. In this regard, Gee upholds that

Discourses are prevalent in the contemporary community since they are shaped or preferably

formulated at any given place in time.

Furthermore, Gee also reflects that the key to discourses is recognition. In that sense, if

an individual puts language, communication, action, principles, values, instruments, regions,

items, as well as symbols together in such a manner that other individuals recognize one as a

specific type of who took part in a certain kind of what, then one has pulled off a Discourse.

Overall, whatever an individual has done ought to be similar enough to different performances to

be identifiable. Although, if it is diverse from what has gone before but still recognizable, it can

concurrently change as well as alter Discourses. Generally, if it is not identifiable, then one is not

in the Discourse.

Usually, Discourses are entrenched continuously in a combination of public

organizations, and regularly entails several 'props' like magazines and books of several kinds,

classrooms, different types of buildings, laboratories, several technologies, as well as a myriad of

other items from sewing needles. In particular, individuals must think of all the symbols, terms,

subjects, objects, deeds, tools, as well as clothes that they need to coordinate in the right manner

in the right place and time to better recognize others. Conversely, it is useful to reason about

social as well as political issues as if it is not individuals who are communicating with one

another. Still, the Discourses people represent and enact for which they are carriers. Generally,

the Discourses individuals authorized existed before every individual comes to the scene. Gee

further outlines that Discourses, through individual words and actions, have conversed through

each other through history, and in the process, create human history.
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In his text, Gee holds the opinion that learners can be made more conscious of their

central as well as pre-existing secondary Discourses if they are taught something concerning

Discourse. In essence, Gee is not contradicting himself by indicating that a new Discourse can be

taught to learners, as a teaching Discourse is something Gee claims cannot be done. The author

tries to imply that teaching about Discourse, instead of teaching Discourse, learners can become

more aware of how their original language or Discourse works. In that regard, learners should

take part in an internship, also known as schooling, to develop a meta-language to aid them in

seeing how Discourses relate to self as well as the community.

Overall, Gee holds the opinion that a Discourse with capital 'D' refers to a 'dance' that

happens in the abstract as a synchronized pattern of values, principles, actions, tools, items,

regions, as well as times and in the here-and-now as a performance that is identifiable as just

such a synchronization. Gee further claims that as a dance, the performance here-and-now is

never correctly the same. It all comes down after the Discourse masters will permit to be

recognized or will be compelled to identify as a possible instantiation of the Discourse.

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Reference

Gee, J. (2014). An Introduction to Discourse Analysis. London: Routledge,

https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315819679