The article “Dude” that I was asked to present to the class was written by Scott Fabius Kiesling, an American sociolinguist, whose interest in the field of language and gender prompted him to investigate the functions and meanings of the word ‘dude’ in American cultural discourses.
The first thing I discussed in my presentation was the goals that Scott Kiesling pursued in his paper, namely find out “the patterns of use for dude, its functions and meaning in interactions”, the reasons of its rise in use in 1980s and “how language is socially meaningful”. Then I briefly stated the methodological framework, including various data sources, which Kiesling utilisied in his research. Both were discussed in detail during the whole presentation.
I …show more content…
He draws the parallels between the rise of ‘dude’ in 1980s and an increased production of films which targeted young audience. Such films (Fast Times at Ridgemont Hill 1982, Bill and Ted’s Exellent Adventure 1989, Clerk 1994, and Dude, Where’s My Car? 2000) all included the protagonists who were unconventional, who went against established rules and authorities and overwhelmingly liked to use ‘dude’ in their speech. Kiesling focused on Fast Times at Ridgemont Hill (1982) and its main character Spicoli who, as Kiesling argues, was a “linguistic icon” glorified and admired by youngsters, who eventually picked up his …show more content…
Overwhelmingly, male use the word when they address a close friend or a group of people to whom they feel a sense of solidarity and camaraderie. In addition, ‘dude’ has no associations with any form of intimacy or homosexuality; instead it encodes friendship bonds and some degree of distance. Furthermore, ‘dude’ acts as a discourse navigator for young masculinity to allow them project their stance of masculine solidarity, strict heterosexuality and
The first thing I discussed in my presentation was the goals that Scott Kiesling pursued in his paper, namely find out “the patterns of use for dude, its functions and meaning in interactions”, the reasons of its rise in use in 1980s and “how language is socially meaningful”. Then I briefly stated the methodological framework, including various data sources, which Kiesling utilisied in his research. Both were discussed in detail during the whole presentation.
I …show more content…
He draws the parallels between the rise of ‘dude’ in 1980s and an increased production of films which targeted young audience. Such films (Fast Times at Ridgemont Hill 1982, Bill and Ted’s Exellent Adventure 1989, Clerk 1994, and Dude, Where’s My Car? 2000) all included the protagonists who were unconventional, who went against established rules and authorities and overwhelmingly liked to use ‘dude’ in their speech. Kiesling focused on Fast Times at Ridgemont Hill (1982) and its main character Spicoli who, as Kiesling argues, was a “linguistic icon” glorified and admired by youngsters, who eventually picked up his …show more content…
Overwhelmingly, male use the word when they address a close friend or a group of people to whom they feel a sense of solidarity and camaraderie. In addition, ‘dude’ has no associations with any form of intimacy or homosexuality; instead it encodes friendship bonds and some degree of distance. Furthermore, ‘dude’ acts as a discourse navigator for young masculinity to allow them project their stance of masculine solidarity, strict heterosexuality and