Cuddy says, “fake it till you become it.” This shows that if you repeat something enough it will become a habit.

This is important information because changing your physical behavior can alter your chemical responses

Cuddy explains that females feel less powerful than men. This seems to be because men are usually bigger and also have higher amounts of testosterone compared to women. Testosterone essentially is known as the power hormone.

Gee explains how to become a linguist. This is important because similar to many things you have to be shown and practice yourself in order to become and embody it.

My annotation of a discourse as explained by Gee tells me that discourse is essentially everything that has to do with communication aside from verbal.

In the first annotation Gee is expressing that nonverbal is just as important as verbal. This leads me to believe that just because you say one thing, your body language could be saying another. In the second annotation it relates to my first one that actions speak volumes. Although actions don’t necessary relate to verbal communication they still “speak volumes”. This means that they have just as much impact as words

Ashley Levesque

9/5/18

110 I

  1. James Paul Gee’s, “Literacy, Discourse and Linguistics” focuses around the idea that although there is verbal communication there is also body language which is just as important. Gee’s writing specifically focuses around linguistics (the study of language), and discourses. Gee states, “Discourses are ways of being in the world; they are forms of life which integrate words, acts, values, beliefs, attitudes, and social identities as well as gestures, glances, body positions, and clothes” (Para. 5). So how does one learn to be a linguist? Well, according to Gee, “While you can teach someone linguistics, a body of knowledge, you can’t teach them to be a linguist” (Para. 7). You can’t necessarily teach someone to be a linguist, a sociologist, a biologist, a veterinarian, a historian, etc. However, you can apprentice them and allow them to practice being a linguist with someone who has already mastered the skill. Teaching it is simply informing but doing it allows you to become it.

 

  1. The difference between a primary discourse and a secondary discourse according to James Paul Gee is that Primary Discourse is learned earlier in life. Primary Discourse is acquired through early socialization and usually happens with a peer group and at home. This discourse helps to understand the world and interact with others. A secondary discourse is built off of a primary but is used outside of immediate family, and your peer group. This discourse extends to local stores, churches, a community, and organizations, etc. Dominant discourses are secondary discourses which help acquire social goods. Non dominant discourses are also secondary discourses that bring solidarity with a social network however, does not help increase social status or social goods.

 

  1. Nonverbal communication is important for someone who is in the discourse of business because it is alot about how you show yourself. Cuddy says, “And what are nonverbal expression of power and dominance? Well, this is what they are. So in the animal kingdom, they are about expanding. So you make yourself big, you stretch out, you take up space, you’re basically opening up” (Para. 10). Essentially when you are dealing with business or have a job interview you need to show power. An experiment conducted by Cuddy shows that during a job interview people wanted to hire people who presented themselves better. Cuddy states, “It’s not about the content of the speech. It’s about the presence that they’re bringing to the speech” (Para. 30). The research shows that people who demonstrated better non verbal communication were preferred in a job interview.