Discourse/Discourse Analysis

  Oxford English Dictionary (OED) on the meaning of "discourse"

• Communicating by spoken word, conversation, talk
• The body of statements, analysis, opinions, etc. relating to a particular domain of intellectual or social activity
• A connected series of utterances by which meaning is communicated (esp. one forming a unit for analysis)

> In the social sciences (psychology, linguistics, anthropology, etc.), discourse has two general meanings

• [1] Conversational language used to achieve goals and purposes [focus: how/for what purpose is language used]
  

• [2] Forms of language reflecting specific social worlds with specialized knowledge, concepts, etc. and which identify who inhabits those social worlds [focus: structures or systems of thought embodied in the language]. For example,

• Scientists (biologists, psychologists, physicists, astronomers, engineers, etc.)
  
• Physicians and health care workers in a clinic
• Military personnel in Army, Navy, Marine Corps, etc.
• Athletes in different sports
• Street gangs, drug dealers/users, deviant social groups
• Adolescents in high school
• Immigrants' children in the US
  

Potter (2004): Some Elements of Discourse

1. Discourse is action-oriented

2. Discourse is situated

3. Discourse is constructed/constructive

Illustration from YouTube

‘Teens Tell All’ In Candid Talks About Drugs, Sexting, Hooking Up | TODAY
Nov 2016.  6'55"

NBC’s Stephanie Gosk (SG) sits down with eight Colorado teenagers for a raw, unfiltered conversation about their lives. With unusual candor they describe the pressure on them to smoke marijuana, the trend of drinking cough syrup to get high, and the challenge for girls to avoid “slut-shaming.”

• Can you identify some different kinds of discourse that appear in this video
• In the "Lying to Parents" part of the interview (4'03"-5'00") what are the speakers doing as they speak?
  

Positioning Theory (Deppermann, 2015)

• Our actions and conceptions of who we are (the "self") are not "self-contained entities, but tied to social discourse" (that is, in our conversations with others).
  
  
• Positioning theory argues that we are constantly engaged in practices that use specific kinds of language and ways of interacting with others related to the specific situations in which we find ourselves.
  
  
• In so doing, we take positions vis-à-vis others by which we claim to be a certain kind of person and have a certain kind of identity.
  
  
• Thus, positions are embedded in social actions and demonstrate that personal identity has multiple facets or differing (even contradictory) aspects.
  
  
• Human are constantly negotiating who they are as they engage with many different other people in real life.

Consider various forms of positioning that people like each of us use when we do the following:

• Brag how well someone did in some sort of contest
• Complain how your have been unfairly treated by a teacher or a store employee
• Boast about the achievement(s) of our children
• Describe how, in a difficult situation, we were able to escape without any obvious harm
• Share with friends your more secret or personal feelings by describing how you reacted in some situation
• Reveal how you outwitted the manager of your store when she/he wanted you to do extra work

Bamberg (2004) "Form and Functions of 'Slut Bashing' in Male Identity Constructions in 15-year-olds"

• What is the "story" told by Ted and Fred and what is the main character of the story like?

• In light of the way the story is told, what is the storyteller(s) doing vis-a-vis his peers and the moderator?

• What is the storyteller (and peers?) claiming about who they are?

Bamberg seems to come to two conclusions: (see p. 348)

Answering the question "Who am I?" these teens achieve the following positions:

1. Being male involves rationality and maturity (// traditional discourse that males are thinkers, more stable, and not driven by emotional motives). These teens reject that they are children.

2. In slut-bashing, girls are positioned as “others” and sexuality is under the control of male standards.

References

Bamberg, M. (2004). Form and function of 'slut bashing' in male identity construction in 15-year-olds. Human Development, 47, 331-353. https://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000081036

Potter, J. (2004). Discourse analysis. In M. Hardy & A. Bryman (Eds.), Handbook of data analysis (pp. 607-624). London, UK: Sage.