James Paul Gee describes Discourse as an identity kit that comes with costume and instructions on how to act, talk, and write to take a role that will be recognized by others. Other examples of Discourse include: a man or a woman, a doctor or hospital patient, an administrator or a student, etc. Gee made two classifications for Discourse, capital “D” and little “d”. He says that any time we are using language, we must say or write the right thing in the right way while playing the right social role and holding the right values, beliefs, and attitudes. In simpler terms, meaning that language and grammar are not what is important. Rather saying/writing, doing, being, valuing, and believing combinations. Those terms make up Discourse with a capital “D”. Connected stretches of language that make sense make up discourse with a little “d”. You might be wondering, how does someone obtain a discourse? Well truth be told, it can not be taught. Instead it can be acquired by apprenticeship into social practices and supported interaction from those who have already mastered the Discourse.
This theory is broken down into Primary and Secondary Discourses, and Dominant and Non-Dominant Discourses. We use Primary Discourse to make sense of the world and interact with others. This constitutes our original and home based sense of identity. We acquire it by being a member of a primary socializing group (family, clan, etc.) This is the foundation for any Discourses obtained in the future. Social institutions such as churches, schools, etc. demand one or more Discourses. By interacting with them, we acquire those Discourses fluently to the extent that we are given access to those institutions and allowed apprenticeships within them. This is referred to as Secondary Discourses. Dominant Discourses are Secondary Discourses which at a particular time and place brings acquisition of social “goods” such as money or status. For example, taking classes in college to earn your degree and start a career. Non-Dominant Discourses are also Secondary Discourses. They often bring solidarity with a particular social network, but not wider status and social goods in the society at large.
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