{"id":518,"date":"2011-06-16T13:50:58","date_gmt":"2011-06-16T20:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kooleady.ca\/thoughts\/?p=518"},"modified":"2011-06-16T14:01:45","modified_gmt":"2011-06-16T21:01:45","slug":"42-questions-in-discourse-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kooleady.ca\/thoughts\/?p=518","title":{"rendered":"42 Questions in Discourse Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li> Gee, J. P. (2011). <em>An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method<\/em> (3rd ed., p. 224). New York, NY: Routledge.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Gee lists 42 questions that a researcher can ask when conducting analysis on a given text or set of texts (p. 121). I will put them into a simple table.<\/p>\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" bgcolor=\"#879c0c\">\n<tbody>\n<tr bgcolor=\"#879c0c\">\n<td width=\"65\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> <\/strong><strong>Tools of Inquiry <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"63\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Building <\/strong><strong>Tasks<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;&gt;<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Significance <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Practices <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"68\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Identities <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"106\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Relationships <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"59\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Politics <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"86\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Connections <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"75\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Sign systems &amp; knowledge <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr bgcolor=\"#879c0c\">\n<td colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Situated meanings <\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"68\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"106\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"59\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"86\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"75\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr bgcolor=\"#879c0c\">\n<td colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Social languages <\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"68\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"106\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"59\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"86\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"75\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr bgcolor=\"#879c0c\">\n<td colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Figured worlds <\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"68\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"106\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"59\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"86\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"75\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr bgcolor=\"#879c0c\">\n<td colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Intertextuality <\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"68\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"106\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"59\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"86\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"75\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr bgcolor=\"#879c0c\">\n<td colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Discourses <\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"68\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"106\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"59\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"86\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"75\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr bgcolor=\"#879c0c\">\n<td colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\">\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> Conversations <\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"style2\"><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"84\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"68\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"106\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"59\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"86\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"75\" valign=\"top\" bgcolor=\"#f9fddf\">\n<ul class=\"style3\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the table, each row represents what he calls a <em>tool of inquiry<\/em>. The columns represent the <em>building tasks<\/em>. To understand how to ask the questions, first one must understand the terminology:<\/p>\n<h2>Tools of inquiry<\/h2>\n<p>Gee refers to tools of inquiry as thinking devices.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Situated meanings<\/strong> \u2013 may also be referred to as <em>utterance-token meanings<\/em> (p. 63). <strong>Form<\/strong> = \u201cmorphemes, words, phrases, or other syntactic structures\u201d (p. 64). <strong>Function<\/strong> = what the utterance is intended to say or cause. If form and function are not in balance, then we might question what is happening. \u201cSituated meanings arise because particular language forms take on specific or situated meanings in specific different contexts of use\u201d (p. 65). Gee notes that analysis is complex because context is always changing. But, we can view an utterance from the viewpoint of different contexts and potentially gain insights into the meaning of the interaction (p. 68).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Social languages<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cdifferent styles of varieties of language for different purposes\u201d or different social situations (p. 28). Social languages can have their own \u201cdistinctive grammars\u201d (p. 50). They help people recognize and create their social contexts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Figured worlds<\/strong> \u2013 typical, often taken-for-granted, stories or simplified pictures of situations with \u201ctypical participants, activities, forms of language, and objects and environments\u201d (p. 71). Holland (1998) defines them as \u201csocially constructed realm[s] of interpretation\u201d (cited in Gee, 2001, p. 71). They are not static. Figured worlds \u201cmediate between the \u2018micro\u2019 (small) level of interaction and the \u2018macro\u2019 (large) level of institutions\u201d (p. 76). People can use figured worlds to construct <em>simulations<\/em> of situations to help them understand or act in the given situation(s). People also use figured worlds to evaluate appropriateness of social activity in the world (p. 90). They can be nested, incomplete, inconsistent, and changing. (An examination of figured worlds can help to uncover taken-for-granted assumptions that guide social behaviours\u2014review <a href=\"http:\/\/kooleady.ca\/thoughts\/?p=395\">previous blog posting on Ian Hacking\u2019s book<\/a>, <em>The social construction of what?\u201d) <\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Intertextuality<\/strong> \u2013 the act of referring to or quoting texts outside of one\u2019s immediate discourse. It is a \u201csort of cross-reference to another text or type of text\u201d (p. 29). Words may be borrowed or switched from one social language and used in another (p. 58).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Discourses<\/strong> \u2013 linguistic and non-linguistic elements that combine into \u201ccharacteristic ways of thinking, acting, interacting, valuing, feeling, and believing\u201d (p. 28). They combine to produce a \u201csocially recognizable identity\u201d (p. 29). [Note: big \u201cD\u201d discourse.] On page35, Gee emphasizes the importance of recognizability. Discourses do not necessarily have clear boundaries; they can overlap, split, meld, die, mutate, etc. (p. 38).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conversations<\/strong> \u2013 Gee uses this word with a big \u201cC\u201d to refer to \u201call the talk and writing that has gone on in a specific social group or in society at large around a major theme, debate, or motif\u201d (p. 29). He adds later, \u201cThey are the products of historical disputes between and among different Discourses\u201d (p. 56).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Building Tasks<\/h2>\n<p>For each building task, Gee suggests that a researcher can ask the following questions:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Given what the speaker has said or the writer has written, and how it has been said or written, what<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>[<strong>things, people, practices, identity(s), relationships, connections, disconnections, sign systems, languages, social languages, ways of knowing<\/strong>]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>in this context are relevant and significant<strong><\/strong>and in what ways are they significant? How is the speaker or writer trying to<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>[<strong>give significance to things, enact things, depict things, recruit things, use things, connect things, disconnect things, privilege things, disprivilege things<\/strong>]?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Note: From my perspective, the building tasks of identity, relationships, and connections can be very difficult to separate. In particular, I see identity as highly integrated with relationships.<\/p>\n<h2>Questions from combining the <em>tools of inquiry<\/em> with the <em>building task <\/em><\/h2>\n<p>Here is how Gee phrases the questions from the table of 42:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Significance<\/strong>: \u201cHow are situated meanings, social languages, figured worlds, intertextuality, Discourses, and Conversations being used to build relevance or significance for things and people?\u201d (p. 121).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He asks the same question for each building task.<\/p>\n<p>So, my question is what elements of this do I take with me when I do my phenomenographic study? It is definitely helpful in expanding the <em>way<\/em> I will read the interview transcripts. Gee&#8217;s book is also helpful for me in developing my transcription protocols. Now onto Wetherell et. al.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gee, J. P. (2011). An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method (3rd ed., p. 224). New York, NY: Routledge. Gee lists 42 questions that a researcher can ask when conducting analysis on a given text or set of texts (p. 121). I will put them into a simple table. Tools of Inquiry Building Tasks [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[110,12,31],"tags":[45,58,32,59,61,23],"class_list":["post-518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-identity","category-phd-2","category-research","tag-constructionism","tag-discourse-analysis","tag-identity","tag-language","tag-linguistics","tag-references"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kooleady.ca\/thoughts\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kooleady.ca\/thoughts\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kooleady.ca\/thoughts\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kooleady.ca\/thoughts\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kooleady.ca\/thoughts\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=518"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/kooleady.ca\/thoughts\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":526,"href":"http:\/\/kooleady.ca\/thoughts\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518\/revisions\/526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kooleady.ca\/thoughts\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kooleady.ca\/thoughts\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kooleady.ca\/thoughts\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}