Today Transcription review Ethnography proposal Lakoff on linguistic structure: Media example Discussion Wilce on icon/index/symbol and political grammar Class activity Media examples

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Transcription

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Practice for Ethnography Greetings Assignment Practice for Ethnography Observation Jottings, hand written 1-2 pages of fieldnotes Peer’s Final Ethnography Fieldnotes 1 •Recording, cued up •Signed release form •Jottings (handwritten) •SPEAKING Model •Transcription (3-5 min.) •Fieldnotes (use quotes from transcription) •Everything in a large manila envelope Ethnography Proposal •1-2 pages •Describe 2 situations to audio record. •Who will be in them? •Why do you think they will be interesting? •What you think you will find similar or different about them. •Keep in mind: –Our social world is constructed. –It is constructed through processes. –These processes are emergent. –How does interpersonal communication reflect larger social structures (e.g., careers, social indicators, cultural values, and patterns of inequality ) Final Ethnography •Proposal •Fieldnotes 1 packet •Fieldnotes 2 packet •5-7 page ethnography (new, using evidence, citing sources) •Everything in a large manila envelope with name and section number on it Collaborative Ethnography Presentation A common thesis framed by theory and supported with evidence drawn from several final ethnographies. Fieldnotes 2 •Recording, cued up •Signed release form •Jottings (handwritten) •Transcription (3-5 min.) •Fieldnotes (use quotes from transcription & cite source) •1 paragraph comparison with Fieldnotes 1 •Everything in a large manila envelope Peer’s Final Ethnography

Ethnography Proposal DUE 9/29 •1-2 pages (1.5, 12pt Times New Roman – don’t cheat on borders and paragraph) •Describe 2 situations to audio record •Who exactly will be in them? Names. •Where will you do the recording? Be specific. •Why do you think they will be interesting? •What do you think you may find similar or different about them? •Questions to Keep in mind •How is our social world constructed through emergent processes? •How does interpersonal communication reflect/create larger social structures? Assignment sheet on Oncourse for more info

Ethnography Parameters 4-6 participants (including you) in each interaction Your subjects cannot be under the influence of any substances. Really. For serious. Your subjects cannot be under 18 Participants must sign the consent form and be aware that they’re being recorded before the recording starts (and know when it starts, too) Don’t try to influence the conversation in any particular way (by introducing a topic, asking questions, etc.). We’re trying to observe people “in the wild” Be aware of noise level in choosing your location; you want to be able to hear your recording clearly.

Ethnography Proposal Due Monday 9/29 on Canvas or email before class I will return them with comments during the following weekend Grading will be Pass/Redo/Fail If you are assigned a Redo, you have one week after getting the comments to resubmit I will tell you what you need to change as specifically as possible, so this shouldn’t take long If you do not submit an assigned Redo, you’ll receive half credit (Fail) for the assignment

Lakoff – Triangle of Linguistic Structure Form (phonology, syntax) Connects words to other words “He’s Dead” Function/intention (pragmatics) Connects words to the speakers and the context they’ll be speaking in Meaning/reference (semantics) Connects words with things

Direct vs. indirect speech Speech act “A linguistic form which, by being spoken, alters reality” (137). Assertions – a speaker is providing info Commissives – a speaker commits to doing something Injunctions – a speaker commits the addressee to future action Questions – a speaker asks for info – addressee has power Apologies & congratulations Accusations Examples of each? Direct vs. indirect speech Give examples of direct and indirect ways to make a person leave your room Why choose one or the other? Which forms can we use with whom?

Cooking With Moss: Media example

Wilce – Types of Signs Icon Index Symbol Sounds like or in some way resembles its object Imagistic vs. diagrammatic icons? (ex. Maramari is a diagrammatic icon because it mimics the back and forth action of a reciprocal fight in the form of the word. So is “chitchat”) Index Correlates with, and therefore refers to, its object (ex. dark clouds are indices of an impending storm) Symbol The relationship to the object is arbitrary but usually understood as natural (ex. Road signs)

Icon, Index, or Symbol?

Icon, Index, or Symbol? Bow Wow

Icon, Index, or Symbol?

Icon, Index, or Symbol? Cat

Icon, Index, or Symbol?

Icon, Index, or Symbol?

Icon, Index, or Symbol?

Icon, Index, or Symbol?

Icon, Index, or Symbol?

Confusing Icons, Indexes, and Symbols The benign version Not benign Confusing Icons, Indexes, and Symbols

The Politics of Grammar “A social group’s speech style is not really an icon of something unchangeable and essential about that group, but people tend to take it as such. When we mistake an index (pointer to an origin) for an icon (sign of essential characteristic), we can contribute to the development of prejudice” (143). What are some examples of the kind of prejudice Wilce is talking about? Are we aware of it when we use grammar “politically,” or when we hear others doing this?

Recap Communication is useless without form, meaning, and function Speech does things, causes events in the world Words and images, otherwise known as signs, can stand for their objects through direct reference, through correlation and context, or through pure social construction (icon/index/symbol) The use of different types of language to do different things is often political, and often very subtle

Preview Ethnography Proposal Due Monday Expert rounds? Deborah Tannen, “Conversational Signals and Devices” Key terms: conversational signal, conversational device, pacing, pausing, pitch, loudness Take notes on what the different conversational devices are, and try to think of some others for class discussion