Culture & Spoken Discourse

Recording and Analyzing Talk by Meredith Marra was an interesting experiment that sparked me to consider how language evolves in all different workplaces. The experiment was to recognize the thought and reflection that takes place while members talk together at a workplace. They were to recognize the technical, logical, and ethical issues. Two main goals of this study was to first, identify the interests that struck both researchers and their volunteer subjects. Second was to build strong relationships and for those who were being studied to not feel like 'lab rats'. The researchers wanted to research with versus on. These prerequisites required the team to learn the specifics of this culture in New Zealand. Once the study left government type buildings and corporate offices, those who were researching began to feel uncomfortable in sorts from the differences that they were seeing in language.
The volunteers were not to be controlled, but were controlling the experiment themselves. They had to record 4 hours of discussion over a 2 to 3 week period. They had control over what they wanted to be recorded and included as part of research. They referred to this as the 'appreciative inquiry'.
The piece did discuss that first senior management was contacted but 'the internal support means success.' I began to think about if I were to be recorded for a day, how many different identities one would hear. I know that at my interview with management I was professional, much different than how I am on a daily basis now that I have worked in the establishment for two years. I thought about how my conversations differ between my guests who are dining and looking for a fabulous experience versus my coworkers who hate being at work just as much as I do. I think about the age of my coworkers versus those who have come in to dine, and how the topics vary greatly on how well one knows each other. Two lunch shifts could cover about 6 hours worth of taping, yet I wonder how many different variations of tone, vocabulary, connotation that you would hear after reviewing it. I thought of my managers and how they speak to us in order for us to operate as one whole unit. There are different situations for different
Marra also writes that English was primarily used in the workplace of the Māori people. It is commonly mistaken that English is interpreted from one cultural perspective. The message: that because two people use the same words and it appears that one understands the other, it should be that both understand each other. This leads into the article by Baker from Tesol Quarterly, that there are a plurality of Englishes. English cannot be seen as a property of one culture or community. There is no real native language then for English because of all its variations. (Baker, 2006). As both Marra and Baker write, we try to create a way of communicating with others who have a different first language or in this sense, share ours but in ways we might not understand. I remember being in Wales with a dear friend on Valentines day of 2008. We were at a bar after my long 7 hour flight and our 3 something hour bus ride. We were having a pint when two gentlemen approached us. One male was moving his mouth and speaking to me, although distracted by his good looks I knew I did not understand this fellow. My friend laughed and kept translating for us. I was baffled at how she knew Welsh. She told me he was speaking English and she was just so used to hearing the differences on a daily basis from living there. Switching back to Marra, the Māori people made it clear that "[I] am an outsider, a visitor, and always will be." (1992:51). I was this outsider and although we shared such common ground, we were truly strangers to one another.
In Chapter six, McKay and Bokhorst struck my interest when they expressed that people choose to speak in a different way and that is their way of self expression. I wonder how we 'choose' how we speak. Our different discourse determines what language we learned and how we are to properly use it, but our decision is our own. The way people tend to portray their sense of speech can affect how others perceive both their social and personal identities. My dear friend has a very low, deep voice that when others speak to him they initially think he is angry. He claims he has to change his voice for certain people and that he doesn't always use his 'real' voice. I know that voice differs from language, but they do go hand in hand. You choose what type of voice you are going to use when you are expressing certain language in different contexts (i.e in a work presentation or when talking to a baby).

The Story of Barbra

At the beginning of this article I could relate to Barbra according to her background. I am also a white female whom grew up in an all white community. A community such as this is strong and proud of its members. However, it is close minded as to what is outside it's little bubble. There are stereotypes within, as there are in any sort of group, but it does not allow members to see from different perspectives.  I am thankful that I had a strong desire to see the world and would have done anything to get such an experience. My study abroad experience is one that changed my life because I was able to squirm outside the fence that had restricted me from knowing what was always on the other side. 

I dove head first into another culture. By moving outside of what I always knew, I had to continue developing language skills; at a faster rate than I ever had before. If the first time I had ever gone to a Mexican restaurant and I had an epiphany that my whole life now had meaning, my parents would have saved a lot of money. A trip to taco bell was not going to make me 'see the light' that culture is not just one dimension. I understand where Barbra came from in the comparing and contrasting of what was American vs. 'their country's traditions.' We found ourselves often discussing this in our Spanish classes at the Universidad, but as time went by it was not so easy. Things I experienced were not just Spanish or American anymore, I found myself relating more or less to certain moments. I was not raised to believe or follow my parents beliefs, they gave me room to grow and explore on my own. As Barbra did not want to continue learning about other cultures because of a negative experience, I feel like culture is much like that. This country, this world being such a melting pot, we live by different moments that define us. Some are good, some are bad; some are fulfilling and some are disappointing. Never does one have to leave their own roots, but they should have the room to grow without feeling as if they are abandoning what 'should' define them. 

My roommate and I became good friends with the two gentlemen who ran the cafe next door to our apartment. We went there on a daily basis to talk, eat, drink, or do homework. Being two locals, who were not near the university so didn't often get the chance to meet Americans, they were fascinated with Chicago trivia. They asked us about Obama, the Chicago Bulls, and about where the actual location of Chicago was (they thought it was near California). As we got to know each other, conversations were more about daily interactions or events versus something so generic. I found it interesting that Barbra had discovered that students had specific characteristics coming from different cultures. I found it even more interesting that she made this observation to David. As Jose & Alex go to know us, they grew to know our mannerisms. They did not associate things as 'American' they associated them to our own identities. David's take on the 'politics of difference' seems its according to whom is looking at the situation and how they are doing so. I enjoy where Barbra states that groups try to connect positive attributes to their heritage and that a thin line exists in teaching. We as teachers must both acknowledge the cultures that grace our classrooms, but we must also make sure that we are not stereotyping, we must make sure that we are not limiting our students to just being 'one' version of themselves. 

The Little Amish Boy: A Story

In Holliday's text, Theme 2 on Othering took me back to a memory I think about quite often. I was on a mission trip in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania. My church joined others from across the United States to attend "Work Camp". This camp provided students and adults alike with a large service project in the community. Teams of 6 were established with members from all the different states & churches. Some teams were combined to complete bigger projects. My project that week was to help restore a roof and rebuild a porch at the home of an elderly couple. I remember the hot summer day, the beautiful scenery around their country styled house, and the Amish. This is one of the most highly populated Amish cities in America. I had not seen an Amish person before, so when I actually saw "one" it was as if I had seen Big Bird actually walking down the street. I was excited and shouted out, "LOOK AT THE LITTLE AMISH BOY!" I pointed and starred. I was reprimanded greatly by our group leader and scolded for being insensitive. I was very embarrassed for being called out in front of the other students, but also confused as to why Gwen didn't understand my excitement. (We had just SEEN a real AMISH boy!)

I often go back to this moment in my head and wonder what possessed me to shout out like that. Much like the story of the Smith Family in 2.1, I was guilty of Othering. I realize that as a child I was extremely excited with someone who was so different than myself, especially because the Amish are not a common theme in Barrington, Illinois. As a young child I perceived that this other child was different than I was. I formed a stereotype in my head for the remainder of the trip that every resident of Mifflinburg was going to look exactly as that boy had. Just as the boys appearance had been so different than what I 'knew', the interaction that was constructed was absolutely foreign to me. I often wonder why I shouted out and I have come to the conclusion that I was just so outside the bubble I lived in, I didn't know how to react. Does not mean my response was appropriate but this was a major moment I realize that stereotypes began to form in my head. I began to think of that boy every time someone mentioned the Amish, even after I returned home and years passed by.

About a month ago, I had served an Amish family in the restaurant I work at. I, of course, thought about the little boy and smiled. I realized that these people live among the same society that I do. These people could be my neighbors, just as they were in John's case. Their lifestyles may be different, but we assume that it is so drastically so because of their outer appearance. What we fail to realize is that we stereotype other groups, but forget that even those within the groups we identify with ourselves, there are different individuals with different stories as well. "We mean to imagine something to be real when its not," (Holliday, 2010). The father of the family drank a beer that evening, and the children cracked jokes. They ate food off the menu, with no modifications. We create these sub cultures and divides simply by believing the theories of others versus what is reality.