Gee

Before You Read:

First result

Urban Dictionary: mush fake

www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mush%20fake

prison slang for items owned by an inmate that may be legal to buy, but were constructed or obtained through illegal means, hence they are contraband.

Summary:

In James Gee's article, "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics" Gee talks about the difference between his idea of Discourse and the literary meaning of discourse. He talks and differentiates between primary discourse and secondary discourse. Gee mentions how it is difficult to learn about a community's Discourse and how the concept of mushfake can help us with that.

Synthesis:

This article closely relates with Porter because both article speak of discourse and its importance. It also relates to the previous article by Swales and how a discourse can help relate a groups thoughts to the public. Another similar article is Pollan, because both talk about how discourse can be used in the world as a way to connect with others.

Response	Quotation
I like this quote because Gee suggests that a new form of literacy study is developing. With the way the he describes it, I believe that it could be very effective way of teaching literacy to students.	“I believe that a new field of study, integrating “psycho” and “socio” approaches to language from a variety of disciplines, is emerging, a field which we might call literacy studies” (Gee 482).
This quote from Gee is such a very true statement. Often times people learn language, but don’t know how to apply it correctly in certain environments. For example, sometimes people learn a foreign language in a formal way, but can’t apply it to an everyday setting. Slang is sometimes crucial to fitting into an environment.	““Language” is a misleading term; it too often suggests “grammar”. It is a truism that a person can know perfectly the grammar of a language and not know how to use that language. It is not just what you say, but how you say it” (Gee 483).
This applies just about equally to the quote above. However, of we learn the concepts of a Discourse community, we will be able to communicate with other people in a more efficient manner.	“A Discourse is a sort of “identity kit” which comes complete with the appropriate costume and instructions on how to act, talk, and often write, so as to take on a particular role that others will recognize” (Gee 484).
I like this quote because it explains how people can use their Discourse knowledge to an advantage on others. If there are other people who do not fully understand a community’s Discourse, they can be subject to the dominant group’s rules, orders, etc.	“Very often dominant groups in a society apply constant “tests” of the fluency of the dominant Discourses in which their power is symbolized” (Gee 486).
Gee explains that Discourses are very hard to teach, especially in a classroom. This is very related to foreign languages. You cannot fully understand a foreign language unless you go to the country and speak it with other people.	“We can pause, also, to remark on the paradox that even though Discourses cannot be overtly taught, and cannot readily be mastered late in the game, the University wants teachers to overtly teach and wants students to demonstrate mastery” (Gee 489).

Meta Moment:

Gee did a great job of explaining why other people have trouble understanding another group's Discourse. You can apply this knowledge to learning any type of language, but especially foreign language.

Thoughts:

This was by far a more interesting read than Swales'. Gee did a great job of explaining his definition of Discourse. The examples that he gave really helps the reader and author connect. This was an easy read and contained valuable information that can be applied daily.