1. Gee defines Discourses as “saying (writing)-doing-being-valuing, believing combinations”. This is important to Gee because the important things when communicating are not language or grammar but the combinations. Gee calls these combinations Discourses. Discourses are different for every person and it is how we interact in the world and it also identifies us. An example of a Discourse would be a lacrosse player.
2. In order to be apart of a Discourse or wanting to identify yourself as, for example, a linguist. You cannot be taught to be a linguist but in order to be one you must be enculturated. This means actually training and learning through “Supported interaction with people who have already mastered the Discourse” (Gee 7).
3. Gee breaks down Discourses in to different types of categories. Two of the categories being primary and secondary Discourses. A primary Discourse is the first one that we are exposed to and we use this to make sense of the world. This is usually developed early in life and at home. A secondary Discourse is one that we acquire outside of our homes with social interaction. For example, our first ever friend groups shape the way that we may act. A person can have multiple secondary Discourse but only one primary Discourse. Gee also makes a distinction between dominant and non-dominant Discourses. He defines them as, “Dominant discourses are secondary Discourses the mastery of which, at a particular place and time, brings with it the (potential) acquisition of social goods” (8). A non-dominant Discourse brings with it a connection with social networks. The difference is important because it shows that there can be conflicts between Discourses within one person.

   I noted this
   because I noticed that there were 4 different types of Discourses. I noticed the question in the beginning and realized the rest of the paragraph would answer it

I realized Gee was introducing new types of DiscoursesWhen first reading this I used this definition to help me understand Discourses.