Ron Scollon’s research while affiliated with University of Rhode Island and other places

List of Figures. Series Editor's Preface. Preface. 1. What is a Discourse Approach?. 2. How, When and Where to Do Things with Language. 3. Interpersonal Politeness and Power. 4. Conversational Inference: Interpretation in Spoken Discourse. 5. Topic and Face: Inductive and Deductive Patterns in Discourse. 6. Ideologies of Discourse. 7. What is Culture? Intercultural Communication and Stereotyping. 8. Corporate Discourse. 9. Professional Discourse. 10. Generational Discourse. 11. Gender Discourse. 12. Using a Discourse Approach to Intercultural Communication. References. Index.

We take as axiomatic from Hymes's work that the linguistic structures of oral narrative should be construed not as abstract and ideal but as artifacts of the human mind in action in society, and that the indissoluble tension between structure and creativity should be moved by analysts in the direction of social justice. The problem the faced in an extended set of action projects aimed at reducing discrimination against Alaska Natives was that problems framed for our attention were often misleading though on the surface clear-cut and reasonable. We began by viewing narrative as a work of social interaction between storyteller and audience in which taboos often dictate indirect statement, and gradually learned to see action as the active punch line. We began to breakthrough into action-acting ourselves in order to learn how people act, what they know and value, how they structure their worlds-using a strategy the now call "nexus analysis." Taking narrative as the discursive doppelganger of action, we trained educators and medics to perceive and pursue indigenous hunting strategies of carefully surrounding rather than going directly to quarry. We worked through abduction by moving from action to action, becoming directly engaged in processes of social change.

intercultural communication;linguistic;ethnography;philosophy;historical analysis

Nexus analysis takes human action rather than language or culture as its unit of analysis. We take one specific case to illustrate the methodology as well as its continuity with the project of Hymes, and of Boas before him, to take action against racism. A nexus analysis takes the constitution of human social groups and languages as a problem to be examined, shifting the focus away from groups toward action as the prime unit of analysis. This shift disrupts power relations between ethnographer as participant and observer and those observed who are now participants and observers in partnership, with consequences concerning when, where, and with whom ethnography can be done, consequences for the security of subjects as well as national security. We begin where inequality is perceived and analyze the actions that bring that about, our analysis itself being a form of action.

One of the most troubling aspects of non-native writing in English is the attribution of authorship. Taking a writing conference, an MA thesis and a transcript of a new story as illustrations, it is argued that in academic writing the facts presented are inseparable from who is taken to have presented those facts. Because academic writing is as much the construction of an authorial self as the presentation of fact, the attention of English teachers to the mechanics of attribution and reference may mask this deeper discourse process. It is suggested that the original, creative, rational and individualistic authorial self expected in English academic writing represents a construct of Utilitarian ideology which is likely to be in conflict with both current changes in English and with the culturally constructed selves of non-native speaking students of English.

Kenneth Burke sought to understand the motives writers establish in the textual scenes they create with a ‘grammar of motives’, which positions an action in one of five motives: the act, the agent, the scene, the purpose, and the agency (means). As discourse analysts shift focus from texts to human action in and through texts, Burke's ‘grammar of motives’ returns as a useful tool for the study of the discursive construction of human action.

This paper examines the role of discourse analysis in addressing the devastating consequences of the rapid restructuring of food production in the world system. I argue that although this is an issue far too large to encompass within discourse analysis, discourse analysis has much to contribute as part of an interdisciplinary and comprehensive analytical approach. Such an approach, a ‘nexus analysis’, consists of analyzing focal points or nexus which are mediated actions through which circulate cycles of discourse. The paper begins with an analysis of product labels and concludes by sketching the outlines of a constellation of three linked research projects: Prandial practices which examines practices of daily food consumption, Corn, tea, and intellectual property , which examines the world-wide industrialization of food production and consumption, and Mad cows, scallions, and global climate change which examines the consequences of this world food system for public and personal health.

Nexus Analysis presents an exciting theory by two of the leading names in discourse analysis and provides a practical guide to its application. The authors argue that discourse analysis can itself be a form of social action. If the discourse analyst is part of the nexus of practice under study, then the analysis can itself transform that nexus of practice. Focussing on their own involvement with and analysis of pioneering communication technologies in Alaska they identify moments of social importance in order to examine the links between social practice, culture and technology. Media are identified not only as means of expressing change but also as catalysts for change itself, with the power to transform the socio-cultural landscape. In this intellectually exciting yet accessible book, Ron Scollon and Suzie Wong Scollon present a working example of their theory in action and provide a personal snapshot of a key moment in the history of communication technology, as the Internet transformed Alaskan life. © 2004 Ron Scollon and Suzie Wong Scollon. All rights reserved.

Discourses in Place is essential reading for anyone with an interest in language and the way we communicate. Written by leaders in the field, this text argues that we can only interpret the meaning of public texts like road signs, notices and brand logos by considering the social and physical world that surrounds them. Drawing on a wide range of real examples, from signs in the Chinese mountains, to urban centres in Austria, Italy, North America and Hong Kong, this textbook equips students with the methodology and models they need to undertake their own research in 'geosemiotics', the key interface between semiotics and the physical world. Discourses in Place is highly illustrated, containing real examples of language in the material world, including a 'how to use this book' section, group and individual activities, and a glossary of key terms. © 2003 Ron Scollon and Suzie Wong Scollon. All rights reserved.