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The problem of speech genres (cropped)-2.pdf (582.907 KB) Read Mikhail M. Bakhtin′s ″The Problem of Speech Genres.″ As you do, think about what he is saying about the nature of human communication. How does viewing speech as divided into genres–as we would divide movies, television shows, and books by genres–influence our understanding of human communication? Imagine a waiter or waitress taking your order at a restaurant. Can you predict the conversation? If so, then you have some idea of what a speech genre is, a pattern of speech that is so conventionalized that you know what to expect from it before it occurs. Is the generic nature of speech not what allows communication to occur in the first place? Think about a typical day at work. What speech genres do you use most often to communicate with others? What genres do they use to communicate with you? What genres do you use at home with your spouse or with your children? How does our familiarity with these genres help promote or hinder our understanding of each other? What does Bakhtin mean by the fiction of the listener? How is human communication more similar to a dialogue between people than a lecture? What is the nature of a dialogue? Say you′re talking to a friend who is genuinely listening to you. Are you the only one communicating in this moment? Is not your friend′s thoughtful silence, body language, etc., also communicating? Are you not modifying your words based on your knowledge of your friend′s preferences, background knowledge, experiences, etc.? Is your friend not formulating his/her response (whether it be a verbalized reply, a shrug, or silence) while he/she ″listens″ to you? Do you talk to your colleague about work the same way you talk to someone who doesn′t understand what you do? As you read Bakhtin, attempt to apply the concepts he advances to your own life and work context. Think about a school, for example. How do speech genres govern what happens in a classroom at your school, on the playground, in the principal′s office, in a faculty meeting, in a board meeting, etc.? What advantage does Bakhtin′s notion of an utterance have?