When Jordan’s students translated Walkers Black English into White English, it was an obvious shock to the students, as they saw how they had talked to an extent for all those years. What Gee would describe this as is essentially just using different discourses when speaking or writing. Yes, it is correct that they are translating the text into an entirely new sentence with new words and replaced words, but at the center, what they’re really doing is using the language with different discourses. They are no longer writing the black language and associating it with the discourses they have in the past. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what the discourses of the students are without knowing them, but when switching to White English, I would be more than willing to guarantee many of the discourses they’re used too are gone. Jordan says the “manipulation of language” will tell you the “identity of speakers, the probably age and sex and class of speakers” and this ties exactly in with Gee saying, “It is not just what you say, but how you say it”. So, in my eyes, what Jordan is doing is exposing the discourses of the two different dialects, Black English and White English.
With Gee mentioning how Discourses can have conflict and tension, it is very relatable for a lot of people. It is more normal to have discourses that have tension than those that do not. In a very basic sense, I have a conflict of discourses in the way I act when I’m at work versus when I with my friends. I’m aware that there is a way to act and a level of professionalism when you’re trying to do a job, but for me, I’ve always found it extremely difficult to essentially shut off one part of me and turn on another. And it is not to say that when I’m with my friends it would be viewed as completely inappropriate if I was at work, but it certainly wouldn’t fit what I’m trying to accomplish, especially not in customer service. It’s difficult to me to change my vocabulary entirely, the way I dress, the way I carry myself, etc. just to go to work. As Gee says, “at any moment we are using language we must say or write the right thing in the right way while playing the right social role” and this especially hits home when talking about a private life versus work life.
In terms of the writing-doing-being-valuing, believing combinations, it is important to Gee because it is especially important in being able to read a person as well being important for providing in how to read yourself. Doing is, in simple terms, what you do. What are you doing in your life. Are you a student, do you work, etc. Being is what you aim to be or what you are “being” right now. Are you trying to be a husband or wife, a son or daughter, etc, it is almost an extended version of what you’re doing. And valuing is what you value in life. Do you value education, family time, both, etc. And finally, believing is what you believe in. It can be anything that is important to your character. Are you a believer in god and religion, do you believe in people finding themselves spiritually, etc. Those are extreme examples but still apply to what is important. For me, I am a student, I being a supportive person to those around me, I value the relationships I’ve already had and spending time with others, and I believe that everyone shouldn’t be afraid to be more open.
