Computational Models of Discourse Analysis

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Computational Models of Discourse Analysis

• Carolyn Penstein Rosé
• Language Technologies Institute/
• Human-Computer Interaction Institute

2
Warm-Up

• Read the short conversation
• Jot down your thoughts related to the following
  ideas
• What social languages are involved?
• What socially situated identities and activities
  do these social languages enact?
• How does intertextuality work in this discourse?
• What figured worlds are relevant, and what
  insights do they bring to light?

Dont worry if you cant remember all the
definitions. Trying to remember will prime you
for learning during the lecture.
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Styles of Analysis (Do David and Beka agree?)

• Eric Our two styles of analysis are quite
  similar first we frame the text in its
  intertextual context, then we consider the
  heteroglossic possibilities of the text, and
  finally we draw our conclusions by interweaving
  the two together.
• David I think my natural tendency in analysis is
  more story-oriented, favoring larger chunks or
  themes than much of Jim's element-based analysis.
  I find myself drawn to analyze and synthesize the
  whole of the piece to fit a single (critical?)
  lens, rather than treating the features and
  elements separately.

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Imagine an environmentalist commercial
Form-Function Correspondence Range of meanings
for the word sustainability
Conversation Global Warming
Discourse Environmentalism
Discourse StatusQuo
Socially Situated Identity Environmentalist
Social Language Liberal rhetoric
Figured World Expected structure of
Conservationist Commercial
Situated Meaning Meaning of sustainability in
the commercial
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Student Comment

• Something that comes across from the analyses of
  the commercial in the reading and from class is
  how much thought went into the design of the
  commercial. Despite the number of themes in the
  commercial, they work together to convey a
  positive message about the product when you
  consider the target audience.
• So today were talking about something less
  planned

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Student Quote

• One aspect that I had not considered before
  reading was Gee's analysis of the monsters. He
  assigns characteristics to the monsters
  (describing them as "tough, hard, destructive
  beings") and suggests that the viewers'
  impressions of them might change after seeing
  them fall in love. I hadn't considered the
  implications of that shift but I now think it
  plays an important role in how we view the rest
  of commercial.
• Please elaborate.

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Discourses

• Definition enacting a kind of social identity,
  like being a real Indian
• More than just language, exists apart from the
  individual people who enact that identity
• Involves more than language, for example,
  clothing and other props
• Scientists are real scientists when they
  contribute a scholarly argument
• How do you do being an Environmentalist?
• How do you do being a discourse analyst?

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Socially Situated Identities

• Definition a role or who doing what
• More narrowly targeting one persons role as part
  of a Discourse
• Example daughter displaying her intelligence to
  her proud parents
• Example2 woman having a personal conversation
  with her boyfriend

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Warm-Up

• Read the short conversation
• Jot down your thoughts related to the following
  ideas
• What social languages are involved?
• What socially situated identities and activities
  do these social languages enact?
• How does intertextuality work in this discourse?
• What figured worlds are relevant, and what
  insights do they bring to light?

Dont worry if you cant remember all the
definitions. Trying to remember will prime you
for learning during the lecture.
10
Social Languages

• Definition Style of language use associated with
  a socially situated identity
• Example daughter displaying her intelligence to
  her proud parents
• It seemed to me that Gregory should be the most
  offensive. He showed no understanding for
  Abigail
• Example2 woman having a personal conversation
  with her boyfriend
• What an ass that guy was, you know, her
  boyfriend
• Note same person, same viewpoint, same content,
  but different audience

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Warm-Up

• Read the short conversation
• Jot down your thoughts related to the following
  ideas
• What social languages are involved?
• What socially situated identities and activities
  do these social languages enact?
• How does intertextuality work in this discourse?
• What figured worlds are relevant, and what
  insights do they bring to light?

Dont worry if you cant remember all the
definitions. Trying to remember will prime you
for learning during the lecture.
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Conversations

• Definition Exchanges between more than one
  Discourse (e.g., ongoing debates)
• Example Creationists versus Evolutionists
• Example Liberal versus Conservative political
  debates

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Intertextuality

• Definition Mixing, borrowing, or switching
  between social languages
• Occurs often within the context of a Conversation
• May also occur in other places
• More narrowly textual than a Conversation

by pointing out the inflation of Saddams body
count by neocons in an effort to further vilify
him and thus further justify our invasion we are
not DEFENDING saddam....just pointing out how
neocons rarely let facts get in the way of a good
war.
So wait, how many do you think Saddam killed or
oppressed? Youre trying to make him look better
than he actually was. Youre the one inflating
the casualties weve caused! Seriously, what
estimates (with a link) are there that weve
killed over 100,000 civilians. Not some crack pot
geocities page either.
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Student Quote (agree or disagree?)

• The biggest enlightenment for me after reading
  Gees theory was the concept of heteroglossia
  or multi-voicedness. This is important because we
  were trying to find the one right answer in
  class, when in fact, everyone could have been
  right. For example, caring parents would see the
  advertisement as loving and soft, but people with
  insatiable egos would see the hummer as a force
  to be reckoned witha vehicular manifestation of
  themselves.

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Warm-Up

• Read the short conversation
• Jot down your thoughts related to the following
  ideas
• What social languages are involved?
• What socially situated identities and activities
  do these social languages enact?
• How does intertextuality work in this discourse?
• What figured worlds are relevant, and what
  insights do they bring to light?

Dont worry if you cant remember all the
definitions. Trying to remember will prime you
for learning during the lecture.
16
Form-Function Correlations

• Definition Linguistic knowledge that we use to
  interpret language
• Example If a subordinate clause is fronted,
  thats unusual, so we must be highlighting its
  significance

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Figured Worlds

• Definition Theories or schemas that explain how
  the world works and provide expectations about
  how things go.

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Student Quote (comment about intertextuality, but
connects nicely with figured worlds)

• We talked about several different themes going on
  in the commercial (i.e., Japan v America, monster
  movies, love stories, children, environmentalism,
  etc.) but we never really talked about where
  these themes came from, or how we knew about
  them. For instance, being able to identify the
  monster movie theme shows a sort of image-based
  intertextuality. It's a graphical theme borrowed
  from somewhere besides car commercials.

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Student Quote (comment about Conversations, but
connects nicely with figured worlds)

• In Chapter 4, Gee talks about Conversations and
  missions statements as things that provide
  context for understanding discourse and as agents
  that influence discourse. Thinking about these
  concepts shaped my analysis of the Hummer
  commercial because many of the messages in the
  commercial are dependent on previous knowledge of
  concepts like old monster movies, love stories,
  and information about the Hummer.

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Situated Meaning

• Definition Using context to select one from many
  possible interpretations
• Example expectation associated with how are
  you? when two friends meet for coffee versus
  when two acquaintances pass in the hall

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Warm-Up

• Read the short conversation
• Jot down your thoughts related to the following
  ideas
• What social languages are involved?
• What socially situated identities and activities
  do these social languages enact?
• How does intertextuality work in this discourse?
• What figured worlds are relevant, and what
  insights do they bring to light?

Dont worry if you cant remember all the
definitions. Trying to remember will prime you
for learning during the lecture.
22
Assignment 1 (not due til Jan26)

• Transcribe a scene from a favorite move, play, or
  TV show
• As a shortcut, you can find a script online
• Excerpt should be no more than one page of text
• Select one of the methodologies we are discussing
  in Unit 1 (e.g., from Gee, Martin Rose, or
  Levinson)
• Do a qualitative analysis of the script and write
  it up
• Use readings from Unit 1 as a collection of
  models to chose from
• Due on Week 3 lecture 2
• Turn in transcript, raw analysis (can be
  annotations added to the transcript), and write
  up (your interpretation of the analysis)
• Prepare a powerpoint presentation for class (no
  more than 5 minutes of material)
• Other Ideas Twitter data, Google Groups,
  transcribe a real conversation (if your
  conversational partners agree)

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Research Connection Social Interpretation of
Code Switching

• English-Tswana-Afrikaans-English (Casaburi 1994)
• An extract from the inaugural address of
  Matsephe Casaburi, the first woman to be sworn in
  as provincial premier (i.e. governor) in South
  Africas Free State Province. Tswana is in
  italics.
•  
• 'YOU CANNOT DISCOVER NEW OCEANS UNTIL YOU HAVE
  THE
• COURAGE TO LOSE SIGHT OF LAND. KE TLA SEBEDISA
  TSEBO YA KA GO BONTSHA GORE KE TLA KGONA GO
  KAONAPATSA PROVINCE YA RONA. ONS MOET SOOS BROERS
  EN SUSTERS SAAMLEEF EN NIE SOOS SWAPE SAAM STERF
  NIE. THANK YOU.'
•  
• (TRANSLATION You cannot discover new oceans
  until you have the courage to lose sight of land.
  I will use my knowledge to show that we are
  capable of improving our province. We must live
  together like brothers and sisters and not die
  together like fools. Thank you.)

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Questions?