The term “Discourse” is defined and discussed by James Paul Gee in the article “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction.” The concept that Discourse cannot be taught presents an interesting perspective on the way individuals speak, behave, and believe. The idea that an individual cannot master Discourse by instruction but rather enculturation, is one that I have been made aware of prior to reading this article. More specifically, this is something I have noticed when it comes to individuals who speak a second language. Many individuals will spend years trying to learn a second language in its entirety, but it is not until they travel to that native-speaking land and immerse themselves in the culture that they are able to truly understand how to communicate in that language and become part of that Discourse. In addition to this, Americans often use idioms or sarcasm that tend to confuse individuals who have learned English as a second language. While they may be fluent in and understand the correct grammar of English, the way they behave, think, and speak is not how one in that Discourse would.
The concept that two Discourses can have tension is incredibly perplexing. Considering that Discourses play a role in an individuals identity, to have two discourses that conflict with one another seems to go against the idea of having an identity. An individual’s identity is who they are. Conflicting Discourses, I would think, would create a serious crisis in someone’s idea of their identity.
Furthermore, the idea that an individual either has a Discourse or doesn’t seems a bit drastic. If an individual is able to gain secondary Discourses, at what point are they unable to freely gain another one? In addition to this, there seems to be no defining point of when an individual is part of another Discourse. Gee discusses that an individual cannot be partially in a Discourse, but rather they are or they aren’t. However, he does not provide reasoning on how to determine if one is in a Discourse or not. It seems as though the ruling for Discourse is somewhat vague in all of its complications.
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