language, discource

Language and Discourse

Name: Saryu D. Baraiya

Subject: The Cultural Studies (Paper-VIII)

Roll No: 27

Study: M.A.

Year: Semester – II

Submitted to: Department of English

University: Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

Language & Discourse

It is part of MATHODS of ‘Cultural Studies’.

Define by Raymond Williams:

“Description of our experience comes to compose a network of relationship, and all our communication systems, including the arts, are literally parts of our social organization…. Since our way of seeing is literally our way of living, the process of communication is in fact the process of community: the offering, reception and comparison of new meanings, leading to the tensions and achievements of growth and change.” (1921-1988)


This definition is so important to ‘Cultural Studies’. To study a society is about whole culture, not only economic or political. Meanings and values are base of culture and exchange of it can create a community: as per definition, “Communication creates Community”. A society’s meanings and values are reflected in economic and political system. To study meaning is to study a culture. Culture is about role of meaning in society and sharing of meaning. Meanings are never fixed: they arrived through negotiation and exchange. Meaning are PROCESS of language. Language is not just a word or a print. It also includes speech, painting and photography.

Language & Discourse As per ‘Cultural Studies’ “Meaning is Representation”.

Representation is a process of signifying.

That includes sign and its meaning.

It presents a world in simple way for reader.

It can be anything like a sound, a word , a image, a concept or anything.

It uses signs for generate a meaning.

This is a LANGUAGE in ‘Cultural Studies’.


word

Concept of wor

d

meaning

Representation/ Languag

e

word

concept

meaning

context

Language & Discourse Language is not neutral and transparent.

Issue of language is connected with class, power, ideology, and material

condition, in which interpretation and representation happens.

Mainly use of language and all expressions are contextual.

This context is DISCOURSE.

“Discourse is the context in which a culture’s communication, meaning- production and interpretation occurs. It is the terrain of thought and expression.”


‘Cultural Studies’ examines, how representation function in a particular society. Ever object in the society has its own representation. This can be a symbol, a word, a metaphor, a visual sign and etc.


‘Cultural Studies’ sees a particular culture as a Text.

Text is made up of signs.

It makes use of theories from linguistics and structuralism to speak of the

textuality of the culture.

Text is related with other text and read within the context of other text.

Text is finally related to and read within a larger cultural text.


TEXT: Toys


Language: Meaning of toys (doll = feminine, tools = masculinity)


Discourse: Patriarchy and Gender difference

Thank you….

language, discource

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