the-ethnography-of-communication

12/9/20111TheEthnographyofCommunicationPresentedby:Dr.AliciaPousada(2004)Introduction
Theethnographyofcommunicationreferstothein-depthstudyofthewaysofcommu-nicatingwithinaparticularspeechcommunity
Inthisunit,studentswilllearn:
Thebasicconceptsunderlyingtheethnographyofcommunication.
Theelementsnecessarytoprepareaneffectiveethnographyofcommunication.12/9/20112Overview
Theethnographyofcommunication(orspeaking,asitwasfirstcalled)stemsfromtheworkofanthropologicallinguistsDellHymesandJohnGumperz(1964,1972).
Hymes,inparticular,wasconcernedaboutthegrowingschismbetweenstudiesoflanguagestructureandlanguageuse.Overviewcont…
Hymessetforthbasicelementstobeconsideredwhenexaminingaspeecheventinagivenspeechcommunity.
Hismodelhasbeenputintopracticeinnumerousstudiesinwidelydisparatespeechcommunitiesaroundtheworld.
Otherimportantfiguresinthedevelopmentoftheethnographyofcommunicationare:RichardBauman,JoelSherzer,andMurielSaville-Troike(seereferences).12/9/20113Overviewcont…Hymeswantedlinguists,anthropologists,psychologists,andsociologiststopayattentiontocommunicativecompetence.Communicativecompetencereferstotheknowledgethateverycompetentmemberofaspeechcommunityhasthatmakesitpossibleforthatindividualtouselinguisticformsinappropriatewaystoaccomplishparticulargoals.TerminologyKeytermsinvolvedintheethnographyofcommunicationinclude:
Speechcommunity
Speechsituation
Speechevent
Speechact12/9/20114Terminologycont…
Aspeechcommunityisagroupofspeakerswhoshareatleastonecommunicativevarietyandthenormsforitsappropriateuse.Itisusually(butnotnecessarily)circumscribedgeographically.
Exampleswouldbe:clans,tribes,sectors,neighborhoods,cliques,religiouscongregations,towns,clubs,schoolclasses,etc.Terminologycont….
Aspeechsituationisanysocialsituationinwhichspeechisanelement.Mosthumaninteractionsinvolvespeechinsomeway,sothisisafairlybroadcategory.
Note:theabsenceofspeechcanbemeaningfulwithinaspeechsituationandshouldbeincludedintheanalysis.12/9/20115Terminologycont…
Examplesofspeechsituationswouldbe:studentassemblies,footballgames,weddings,religiousservices,graduations,drivingtests,trials,medicalconsultations,etc.Terminologycont…
Aspeecheventisthebasicunitforanalysisofcommunicativeinteractioninspeechcommunities.Speecheventsaresocialeventswhicharecarriedoutthroughcommunicativemeans,especiallyspeech.12/9/20116Terminologycont…
Examplesofspeecheventsinclude:speeches,verbalduels,flirtations,weddingvows,prayers,classroomlessons,etc.Terminologycont…
Aspeechactisthesmallestelementofcommunication.Itmayconsistofsentencesorphrases,usuallygroupedinpairscalledadjacencypairs.
Speechactsarehighlyformulaicinmostsocieties,andtherulesforculturalappropriatenessmayvarygreatly.12/9/20117Terminologycont…
Examplesofspeechactswouldinclude:
Greetings/farewells
Questions/answers
Orders/compliancesorrefusals
Invitations/acceptancesorrejections
Threats/promises/warnings
Compliments
Performatives(speechactsthatperformsocialactsjustbybeinguttered,e.g.saying“Ido”inaweddingceremony).Terminologycont…
Tobettervisualizetherelationshipamongtheseterms,imagineanAmericanfootballgame.
Speechcommunity—somewhereinUS
Speechsituation—footballgame
Speechevents—pre-gameprayer,coach’speptalk,huddle,cheers,etc.
Speechacts—invocations,exhortations,callingoutplays,etc.12/9/20118Elementsofanethnographyofcommunication
Themnemonicdevice:SPEAKINGencodesthedifferentelementsneededforanadequateethnographyofcommunication
EachletterofthewordSPEAKINGrepresentsanelement.SPEAKINGmnemonic
S=setting,scene,situation
P=participants(interlocutors)
E=ends(goalsandoutcomes)
A=acts(speechacts)
K=key(mood;e.g.serious,humorous)
I=instrumentalities(channelormodeofdiscourse(oral,written,gestural,etc.)—alsoform(standard,non-standard,regional,etc.)
N=normsofinterpretationandinteraction
G=genres(e.g.song,myth,joke,poem,etc.)12/9/20119Analysisofspeechevents--#1:Tellingaknock-knockjoke
Setting=almostanyinformalsituation
Participants—atleasttwo,atleastoneofwhichisusuallyachild
Ends=entertainment
Acts=formulaicquestionsandanswerswithwordplayinfinalresponse
Key=humorous,silly
Instrumentalities=oralspeech
Norms=interpretedashumorousanddumb—appropriateforchildrenoradultsactingchildishly
Genre=riddle,wordplay#2:Traditionalmarriageproposal(USA)
Setting=usuallyprivatebutcanbepublic
Participants=atleasttwo,usuallyman(proposer)andwoman(proposee)involvedinintimaterelationship
Ends=matrimony
Acts=oftenformulaicquestionswhoseanswersdependonproposee’sdisposition—endwithacceptanceorrejection
Key=serious,committed
Instrumentalities=oralspeech,symbolicring,gesturesliketakinghand,kneeling,etc.12/9/201110#2:Marriageproposalcont…
Norms=usuallyinterpretedasseriouscommitmentandcausesstrongemotioninbothparticipants—onlyconsideredappropriateifbothhaveexpressedlovetooneanotherpreviouslyandconditionsarepropitiousformarriage—otherwisemayberejectedortakenasjoke—proposeewaitsuntilproposaliscompletebeforeresponding—interruptionsnotpermitted
Genre=proposalTrythisone:agossipsession
Setting=
Participants—
Ends=
Acts=
Key=
Instrumentalities=
Norms=
Genre=12