Discourse Communities
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Questions and Answers

What do the studies by Cameron and Richardson show about the construction of gendered identities?

  • That they are only constructed by women
  • That they are only constructed through written texts
  • That they are fixed and unchangeable
  • That they are performed and enacted through language and talk (correct)

    • What is a key point made by Blommaert about identity?

  • That it is solely constructed by the individual
  • That identity is fixed and unchangeable across time and space
  • That it is only influenced by one's physical space
  • That a lot of what happens in the field of identity is done by others, not by oneself (correct)

    • What does Blommaert argue that place does to people?

  • It only affects their social class
  • It defines them, both in their own eyes and in the eyes of others (correct)
  • It has no impact on their identity
  • It only influences their occupation

    • How does Bucholtz describe identity?

    <p>As a social accomplishment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of identities, according to Blommaert?

    <p>They are temporary and context-dependent</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do individuals, according to Blommaert, shift and express different identities?

    <p>By frequently and delicately shifting places</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is true about the relationship between different aspects of identity?

    <p>They are interdependent and influence each other</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is implied by the concept of identity as a 'repertoire of styles'?

    <p>That identity is composed of multiple and diverse styles or ways of being</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines the choice of language or language variety in a given situation?

    <p>The domain and social factors of the interaction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a social factor that influences language choice?

    <p>The social distance between speakers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the TV show The Good Wife, what is a factor that influences Alicia Florrick's language use?

    <p>The role she is playing at the time</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main topic of research in Qing Zhang's study?

    <p>Language variation and group membership</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In what city did Qing Zhang conduct her research on language variation and group membership?

    <p>Beijing</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key factor in determining the language variety used in a given situation?

    <p>The topic of the interaction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a domain that can influence language choice?

    <p>Family</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Holmes (2008), what are important factors in accounting for language choice?

    <p>Social factors such as who we are speaking to and the social context</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Zhang's 2012 study focus on?

    <p>The language use of Chinese television talk show hosts</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the possession of a certain variety of Mandarin Chinese?

    <p>Linguistic capital</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common characteristic of discourse communities?

    <p>They have shared goals and values.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Eckert, what do people do with social meaning?

    <p>They produce and reproduce it</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic of the cosmopolitan variety of Mandarin Chinese identified by Zhang?

    <p>It is a mix of English and Mandarin</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a discourse community within another discourse community?

    <p>An academic department</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main argument made by Litossoleti, Eckert, and Pennycook?

    <p>Language is both a social and local practice</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key aspect of the training of telephone operators in call centres?

    <p>Being trained to answer the phone with a smile in their voice.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of possessing a certain variety of Mandarin Chinese, according to Zhang?

    <p>Material and symbolic rewards</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common goal of call centre workers?

    <p>To provide customer service and make sales.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of the communication style of telephone operators in call centres?

    <p>They speak clearly and at a moderate pace.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the new transnational professional identity associated with a certain variety of Mandarin Chinese?

    <p>Cosmopolitan identity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do people do with their ways of speaking, according to Eckert?

    <p>They fashion them to fit their personae</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a feature of the discourse community of a telephone call centre?

    <p>They have a unique terminology and vocabulary.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a potential benefit of training telephone operators to communicate in a particular way?

    <p>It can improve the overall customer experience.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key aspect of discourse communities?

    <p>They may have shared values and beliefs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why do authors such as Thurlow, Lengel and Tomic prefer to talk about identity online rather than online identity?

    <p>To acknowledge that online interactions may not reflect real-life characteristics</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a motivation behind people engaging in casual conversations, according to Eggins and Slade?

    <p>To negotiate social identities and interpersonal relations</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did a Taiwanese user in Tsang's study discover about their online interactions?

    <p>That they had more success when they presented themselves as Caucasian</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do Eggins and Slade argue about casual conversation?

    <p>That it is a highly structured and functionally motivated activity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common way in which characters in Sex and the City establish social identities?

    <p>Through their use of casual conversation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do people often change about themselves when communicating online?

    <p>Their essential characteristics, such as age or ethnicity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a function of casual conversation, according to Eggins and Slade?

    <p>To negotiate social identities and interpersonal relations</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do authors such as Thurlow, Lengel and Tomic suggest about online identity?

    <p>That it can be manipulated and changed</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Discourse Communities

    • A person can be a member of multiple discourse communities, such as a university student, community volunteer, and church group member.
    • Each discourse community has its own communication style, values, and beliefs.
    • A discourse community can have sub-communities within it, such as academic departments within a university.

    Characteristics of a Discourse Community

    • Shared goals and values
    • Common ways of sharing information
    • Specific language or terminology
    • Particular genres and styles of communication
    • Examples: telephone call centers, academic departments, and social groups

    Language Choice and Social Context

    • Language choice is influenced by social factors, such as who we are speaking to, the social context, and the topic of conversation.
    • Social distance, formality, and status of speakers also impact language choice.
    • Examples: The Good Wife TV show, where the lead character uses different language styles in different social and professional settings.

    Identity and Language

    • Language is a social and local practice that reflects a person's identity, ideologies, and beliefs.
    • People fashion their ways of speaking to create and establish social identities.
    • Identity is not just performed by individuals but also recognized by others.
    • Identities can be temporary, and people can shift between different identities depending on the context.

    Identity and Performance

    • People perform and enact particular identities through language and behavior.
    • Examples: male US college students constructing heterosexual masculinity through talk, and male cricket club members using language to talk about women.
    • Identities are not independent of other aspects of identity, such as social class, occupation, and sexuality.

    Online Identities

    • People can create and present different identities online, such as changing essential characteristics like age, ethnicity, or physical appearance.
    • Examples: a Taiwanese user of online chat rooms who found more success in getting people to chat with him by presenting himself as Caucasian rather than Chinese.

    Casual Conversation and Identity

    • Casual conversation is a highly structured and functionally motivated activity that negotiates social identities.
    • Examples: characters in the TV show Sex and the City using casual conversation to establish and express social identities, such as gender, social class, and subcultural affiliations.

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    Description

    Learn about discourse communities, their shared goals and values, and how individuals interact within multiple groups. Explore the varying communication styles and prominent beliefs in different communities.

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