Blog 11 Gee Discourse analysis

Gees chapter 1-4 was a great tool for me. My research topic is researching Ebonics"black language" which ties into the Gees first four chapters. Gee explains thoroughly language and we use it to apply our meaning into a global society. Language is not just words but it is action, "saying", doing, and "being". There are important connections in what a person is saying and what identity they are forming at that time, and what it does for the listener. This concept is the foundation of my research questin "How do people make decisions about how they are going to speak"?  I find chapter 4 to be particullary useful as it is closely related to my topic. The chapter is called Social Languages, Conversations, and Intertextuality. Gee describes social languages as different varieties of language that allow us to express different socially signficant identities and enact different socially meaningful practices or activities. I immediately associated this with the idea of performing those "black identities" and when and what context is it appropriate.  Gee describes intertextuality as oral written text that idirectly or directly quote another text in a more subtle way. This helped develop my ideas of "code switching" from white english to black english. These ideas of how people communicate and what they are doing through language. Gee uses an example of young lady explaining a situation to her parents and the same to her boyfriend on seperate occasions. Although it is the same story the young lady uses different language in the separate social situations. Her language represents who she is and what she is doing in the separate situations. There are two versions of herself, the one she represents in front of her parents and the self that has conversations with her boyfriend. It shows how we use language to form identities.

Blog 10 Developing a Research Plan

 

After meeting with Dr. Chandler I found a great book on (Ebonics) or as the book calls it The Language of Black America. Talkin and Testifying by Geneva Smitherman, helped me familiarize myself with the topic of Ebonics, which is the first step in developing a research plan. I learned Non blacks perceive ebonics as language identities, synonymous with hustlers, pimps, street slang, rap music, and violence. In actually it a form of English termed "black english", or non standard english. With the standard form of English of course being termed "white english". When looking at the sociocultural context of "black english" is really a verbal art, used to explain the black experience. It is a verbal performance used as teaching and socializing with deep roots in the African American church. The book talks about ebonics as an oral tradition, a language that allows group approval and recognition of the speaker. It a part of black cultural heritage. Well how does "White America feel about it and why is it making its way into the mainstream language of non-blacks, including White America. There are black cultural influences everywhere. In music, the media, sports, art,clothing, advertisements etc... It seems befitting it would make its way into mainstream. A lot of the non-black population use Ebonics and are not even aware of it. It presents itself in the form of "code switching". Which is switching between two dialects in social situations. In the case of ebonics between black and white english.
Some of the questions we came up with are:
How do people make decisions about how they are going to speak?
How do people make decisions about forming black identities?
Is code switching a part of teaching repitoire.
What connections are made between black speaking attitudes, and underachievement, poverty, and low expectations by teachers?
Does a teacher's negative attitude toward black language negatively affect student acheivement?
What are the negative effects of teacher attitudes toward black speaking identities?

My plan is to interview about 3 professors at Kean University, and to do some connections between their ideas about "code switching" and "black identities" and student achievement. I am still fine tuning the ideas and plans behind my research. I was also thinking of doing surveys of students use of black language. In a sense of when is it acceptable to use it. College dialect vs. Street dialect, or work vs. play? When are we turning the switch on and off? How do you speak at home among family?

There are a lot of ideas in my head, I just have a hard time narrowing one down to make a great research paper.

Blog 8 Research questions

In researching Ebonics and how it is mainstreamed into non-black speakers some of the research questions I have are:

What context does the non black speaker use ebonics?
What are some of the ways people think of ebonics?
What pushes anger buttons?
Is language cultural?
What are the assumptions of black language?

These are all great questions to ask, that can easily be answere by a small population of college students to generalize what are the mainstream ideas about Ebonics and their use in society.

Blog 7 Research Plan

I would like to research language and how it affects the way we perceive each other. I would like to focus on the African American community. The idea that Ebonics is a form of broken English used to communicate in a percieved slang manner in the African American community or is it a  restructed form of English used by AA in opposition to the white form of english. The use of language in the African American community is a sensitive topic in terms of race. Speaking in white form of English can be considered to parts of the African American community as "acting white". The use of Ebonics or an AA form of english or ebonics can be considered to non African American as "ignorant".

Some questions I will have toward my topic are:

Is Ebonics a form of the english language or is it a slang?
Do you need to know proper english to fit into society, if you are a minority?
What context do people use Ebonics in shcool, or at home, or the office and to what extent?
Should Ebonics be taught in school?

In developing a research plan I would:

• Outline the topic
• research articles on the topic and other works in the field.
• Develop how my data will expound upon or differ from the sources researched.
• I will pose a question and show evdidence to be considered.
• Methods of research include, interviews, surveys etc..
• Development of topic based on all coded data and themes to form a hypothesis and conclusion.

Blog 6 Literacy Narratives (A Cultural Story)

Literacy Narratives 2

Questions:
How does the writer find a relationship with literacy?

• Started relationship with writing by reading.
• Mother passed on love of reading to author and two sisters (read to the every night/frequent library trips).
• Sister had an influence on early life of literacy in the author through reccomendations of books, reading together, and follow up discussions.

What challenge does the writer face accepting their role in literacy?

• Did not consider his/herself in the role of a "writer" (Sister filled the role of " writer").
• Considered writing as an academic tool, claimed the role of "good at school" in terms of their writing.
• Fears of judment of work, and judment of audience  
• Cultural Stories keep him/her from realizing they had any merit as a potential author.

How does the writer connect literacy to childhood experiences?

• Used imaginitive play and role playing to connect the art of story creation
• Developed ideas, characters, dialogue and settings through verbal interactions with sisters and friends
• Used this time to piece together stories and ideas through shared experiences.
• Learned to use online communities as an audience

 In Literacy Narrative 2 we meet the author of the piece who struggles to attribute the term "writer" as a self label. Although the author fostered the love of literacy through the influence of family and friends, therer is this self conflict to identify as  a writer because of this "cultural story", or traditions and misconceptions about writing.  I found that this is the theme throughout all of the Narratives read in class. This whole idea of the "literacy myth", or "cultural story" that serves as this connection to the authors story and the effects it had on their roles in literacy. They are these misconceptions and assumptions that literacy or "writing" the challenge the author of this story faces, is this lonely, solitary act, where inspiration comes from the intellegence of ones mind and not their actions. On the contrary literacy for the writer was a shared experience, nurtured through family and friendships. An influence started early with a mother being a role model for literacy and a sister being a peer model. Through these experiences a "story" and a "writer" were developed. The writer had to understand that imagination, play, interactive dialogue and characterization would serve as the framework for his/her ability to create stories. The writer could not connect to writing as and individual like the sister could. The writer connected through environmental responses, being a co-author, or a member of the audience, or an online community where his/her talent could be nurtured through  a social context. Being introduced at a young age to the computer the writer was able to find his/her indivuality or identity as a writer. However just as in childhood their needed to be an audience creating a shared experience. Encouragement was a starting point to a gradual change to "author". Letting go of the cultural story and releasing the labels society puts on writing and literacy shaped the writer's confidence. The writer may have developed into the role sooner if he/she would have honed in on the skill, instead of letting the fear of individuality, and  labeling to define their acheivements.