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Observation paper 2: Linguistic observation
Purpose: The purpose of this assignm
Observation paper 2: Linguistic observation
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to continue the process of learning to observe linguistic behavior in action, at a more micro-level than the last assignment. In addition, you will gather linguistic data to analyze it in light of what we have learned in this section of the class.
We frequently do not notice just how much information there is in a simple linguistic exchange, and this exercise will allow you to focus on a very small piece of data, and to record as much information about it as you can. Once again, we are making conscious a process which takes place largely unconsciously every time we enter a conversation with another person, or every time we observe a conversation among other people.
There are two parts to this assignment.
First: Observe, with care, and in detail (for example, you absolutely need to document, to the best of your ability, what people actually say and how they say it – it will not cut it to say, “They talked about the party they went to last night.”).
Second: Step back from your data, and from your assumptions about what is going on in the conversation, and to apply the course concepts to your data to come to understand better what is going on. The reflection at the end gives you a chance to integrate the two and consider your role as observer and analyzer in the process.
Observations
You will engage in three observation sessions, done in one of two ways (depending on what kind of access you have to real people interacting in real time).
You can either:
Take a notebook and writing implement, or a computer, and find a place where you will be able to watch people interacting with one another without being overly intrusive or noticeable. Do not use any recording devices unless you have explicit permission to do so from the people you are observing (if you feel that you wish to record, please talk to me about permissions, etc). For two to three minutes, record everything that you can about one interaction (dyads are easier and are preferable for this assignment). This can include clothes, (presumed) gender of the speakers, age estimates, location, how they sit relative to one another, eye contact, movements, etc, as well as a reasonable approximation of the words used, and the topic discussed. Estimate the number of turns taken by each participant in the conversation (see why a dyad is easier?). Use a space of time after the intensive two to three minutes are up to record the details of the observation; be sure to include the context (where you did the observation, anything you might know about the general culture of that place, etc). Do this two more times, for a total of three observations.
Or choose three two to three minute segments of two people talking in some kind of media environment (this must be real-time talking, so, e.g., Twitter, Instagram, etc, posts will not work; Facebook live, etc, on the other hand, will). I strongly urge you to stick to dyads, for all the same reasons expressed above. If you can choose interactions that are as close to real-world conversations as possible (as opposed to scripted television shows, for example), please do. Although please do remember that all public-facing performances are just that – performances, and are therefore, to at least some degree, scripted and or consciously managed. If you do choose to work with segments of a scripted show, please be aware of that and reflect on the implications of that for your analysis. Once you have chosen your three segments, gather the same data from them as discussed above.
Content and Format:
The notes you take on these dyadic conversations are the data that you will then analyze.
Read and reflect on your notes. As you write your observation paper, use specific examples from your notes and apply the concepts from the course to your data.
Did you see any of the phenomena we have discussed in class (e.g., greetings, a level of formality or informality, the use of conversational genres, discursive consciousness, radical reflexivity, narratives of belonging, etc)?
How do you know that is what you were seeing? Be sure to explicitly refer to and utilize the criteria from the articles to analyze your data.
Consider the data-gathering experience itself (as the authors of all the articles we have read do). Did it go the way you expected?
What assumptions did you find yourself making about the speakers’ gender, ethnicity, age, relationship, etc?
Was there anything about it that was easier or harder than you anticipated?
Did you notice anything that you were surprised by? Were any expectations fulfilled by the behavior of the people you observed?
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