Discourse
Town Hall Audience Member - Key & Peele
Play videoDon Kulick's "No" paper reminded me of this classic Key & Peele sketch, in which the camera and audience at a town hall follow Jordan Peele's character while a member of congress is talking about gay rights. In this case, the camera and audience are calling Jordan Peele's implicitly straight character into being as a gay subject, which Peele attempts to circumvent by refusing to linguistically acknowledge the attention and instead scurrying around the room to hide. I think this is a (non-violent) example of the same phenomena Kulick talks about, since Peele's character evidently believes "to have to utter that ‘no’ oneself is to be forced to produce oneself as a non-masculine subject," which in this case means he can't just say he isn't gay.
If We Were Honest Making Plans
Play videoThis Buzzfeed video is an interesting look at the topic of refusals covered in Kitzinger and Frith (1999) where three people (including Quinta Brunson!) are invited to a party, and two of them decline the invitation using a mixture of pauses, palliatives, and prefaces, as discussing in the conversation analysis of the 1999 paper. Then Quinta gives a simple refusal of, "I won't be at the party because I don't want to go". The others are confused and humorously try to provide her with appropriate excuses. I think the most interesting thing here regarding gender is that Quinta is in a group of 3 other men, all of whom engage in complicated refusals while Quinta, the only woman, pointedly does not (and no one calls her a bitch like in the Maya Rudolph SNL video).
Can You Pick Me Up - SNL
Play videoA recent Saturday Night Live sketch in which Maya Rudolph provides increasingly implausible excuses to pick up her daughter from a sleepover because she doesn't want to explicitly say that her daughter is uncomfortable. One scene in the montage contrasts Kenan Thompson as the father explicitly saying, "She wants to leave because your daughter's mean and your house smells weird." Thought this was an interesting connection to the section of Kitzinger and Frith (1999) that talks about "translating" and justifying refusals, including a reference to a Guardian article with the same premise as the SNL sketch.
sign-language interpreter is accused of signing total gibberish
Play video"Another sign-language interpreter is accused of signing total gibberish. This time it was at the police news conference announcing an arrest in the Tampa serial killings. A woman standing off to the side was supposedly translating every word, but it turns out much of what she was signing was nonsense. The woman, identified as Derlyn Roberts, has a string of arrests for fraud. So how did she come to be "translating" at last week's high-profile police news conference? #InsideEdition"
Interruption, conversation, and perception
An article on a study of both American English conversational styles and how they and other variables affect perceptions of conversational "interruption" or simultaneous speech. Found not only differences in perception from people of different linguistic styles but significant differences in survey respondents' perceptions of the actions, speech, politeness, and intellect of men and women. [Published on 22018]
Why "No Problem" Can Seem Rude
Play videoThis video elaborates on the clash between different speakers' interpretations of phatic expressions like "no problem." It cites Dinkin (2017) as one of its sources.
Sonic girls making new words
Play videoThese girls are taking words that already exist and combining them to make a new word with a new meaning.
Jesse Williams' Speech (BET Awards 2016)
Play videoPopular speech upon receiving the BET Humanitarian award. Example of black preacher style by biracial speaker.
Should Holocaust Denial be Criminalized?
Play videoFascinating example of rhetorical devices and traditions at the Oxford Union...Question is whether holocaust denial should be criminalized. Proponents narrow the scope of the debate, opponents broaden the issue well beyond holocaust denial. Also, I love the fact that at the Oxford Union, the speakers are introduced by their opposition in the debate...great device that illustrates the philosophy of this great institution.
The Semantics of "Literally"
Play videoThis clip from the television show Frasier demonstrates discourse over the semantics of the word "literally".
The Language of Maya Angelou
Sociolinguist Anne H. Charity Hudley discusses the linguistic legacy of Dr. Maya Angelou. Although Angelou spoke out against the legitimacy of African American English during the Ebonics Controversy in the late 1990s, Charity Hudley points out her use of many features of AAE, from morphosyntax to discourse. [Published on 05-29-2014]
Hashtags are the new scarce quotes
the various stances that a hashtag can convey, including distance, solidarity, and sarcasm
The Origins of Office Speak
An article that describes the evolution of "office speak" or business jargon, in American English, across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. [Published on 04-24-2014]
Yo Momma Jokes
Play videoA You Tuber in 2007 demonstrating his best "Yo Momma" jokes.
I use this with the reading: Labov, William. 1972. Rules for Ritual Insults. In Language in the Inner City.
Flavor Flav and Doctor Dre Play the Dozens
Play videoA video from 1988 of Flavor Flav and Doctor Dre trading ritual insults.
I use this with the reading: Labov, William. 1972. Rules for Ritual Insults. In Language and the Inner City.
Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas Hearings
Play videoA clip from the 1991 confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justic Clarence Thomas, which shows Senator Arlen Specter questioning Anita Hill.
I use this with the reading: Mendoza-Denton, Norma. 1995. "Pregnant Pauses: Silence and Authority in the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas Hearings."