James Paul Gee - Question and Answer

The Interdisciplinary Committee on Linguistics (ICOL) hosted a talk by James Paul Gee, Regents' Professor and Mary Lou Fulton Professor of Literacy Studies in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at ASU. “From Grammar to Society” The core grammar of any natural language fixes certain rather abstract aspects of meaning by "rule" (social conventions rooted in a human "instinct" for grammars of a certain sort). This aspect of grammar is largely irrelevant to applied linguistics. So, what is the role of grammar for those of us who study language in its social, institutional, and cultural settings? Gee offers in this talk a theory of grammar, discourse, and society that underlies an approach to discourse analysis with relevance to the understanding of controversial issues in society. This public event was hosted by the Department of English at ASU and was free of charge. ASU Tempe campus Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018